Legacy
by petitefeeme
Summary: The Inu no Taisho was known for his strength and unconventional thinking which led to two sons from different mothers, one full blooded and one halfblooded, and no definite alpha female in his pack. It is now up to his legacy to follow his footsteps, willingly or not, knowingly or not.
1. Chapter 1

**I present my readers this new fanfiction! I'm quite proud of it X).**

**The idea for this story came from a desire to develop hanyos' situation in society in a story. Then the fanfic took control and even if it's still here, it isn't the main topic of the story anymore.**

**I do not own Inuyasha or its character, only my Oc. **

**While I searched through fanfiction, I didn't see any fanfic bearing a likeness to mine, so it only made me want to write this story even more. Of course I didn't search **_**everywhere**_**. is a huge thing for little old me, but still.**

**I also warn my readers that for this fanfic, my chapters' lengths will be a bit random. That one has more or less 4000 words, but that doesn't mean the next one will also have 4000 words.**

**Sorry for the big introduction. Enjoy this first chapter. This one is a bit angsty, but I find it normal. Rin and my Oc don't have the best of situation.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

_xxx_

Chapter one

_xxx_

The night had fallen upon the little village, the people sleeping peacefully in their beds.

Hikaru eyed the fishes innocently swimming in the village's pound.

She was hungry. She hadn't had anything to eat for one whole month and needed sustenance.

At the prospect of food her stomach rumbled loudly and the little female willed it to hush.

Her mother's words rang clearly into her mind, warning her to stay clear of any human settlement, to never steal from them and to find her sustenance in the forest.

Stealing was bad, because it made her no better than those bandits who robbed travellers.

No better than the bandits who killed her mother.

But winter had barred the forest of any animals she could hunt (there was no way she could bring down a lynx or a stag – heck, even a deer was out of her reach) and killed any berries or fruits she might have feed off.

Roots could only take her so far.

White furry ears twitching in every direction in case someone came, Hikaru stepped near the pound and as fast as she could snatched a fish in her little clawed hands.

Smiling, she turned to walk back in the shelter the forest provided only to freeze when she caught a sound behind her.

Jumping away instinctually, Hikaru whirled around to come nose to nose with a young girl.

Dark brown and ice blue met, the first curious and the second wary.

Instinctively Hikaru took a step back, ready to flee.

The human girl only blinked and continued to stare at her in wonder.

Her neutrality unsettled Hikaru like nothing else ever did. Wherever, whenever she was seen, humans screamed and demons sneered. Both would try to kill her.

Yet this girl only stared at her.

This moment, seemingly frozen in time, was broken when Hikaru's ears twitched, picking another sound.

Footsteps, loud and heavy.

Tensing immediately, knowing what those footsteps implied, Hikaru swiftly disappeared behind the bushes, escaping.

She heard gruff voices followed by yells, probably insults.

She halted in her running when she heard something she would recognise everywhere.

Beating.

But why? Dark brown eyes flashed into her mind and she frowned. This didn't make sense, why would they beat this girl? She wasn't the one stealing their fishes.

The weirdest thing was that she couldn't hear anything apart from the –sickening- sounds of fists and feet hitting flesh. Usually people, moreover the younger ones, would cry or call for their relatives.

Yet Hikaru couldn't hear the faintest of whimper (and she prided herself with her sense of smell and hearing).

Sighing, knowing her damn curiosity wouldn't let her rest until she went to the bottom of the story, the hanyo girl turned back to retrace her steps, a little voice in her head warning her that curiosity had already cost her much, too much.

Staying under a bush to hide herself, she dared a peak and her eyes widened in reflex.

How? How could they harm one of their own so violently? And the girl wasn't saying anything at all! Was she mute?

She felt despite herself bile rise from her throat, tears prick at the corners of her eyes and her stomach constrict painfully.

Why?

She froze when dark brown eyes slitted open to stare at her through the feet kicking her body.

Hikaru tensed, ready to flee full speed before the girl could even utter a sound. But the human didn't say anything.

This wasn't how humans were supposed to behave. She shouldn't be here!

Finally the men retreated to their hut with a few warning to not attempt to steal again.

Hikaru willed herself to move away to the safety the forest provided, as cold as it was now.

But her eyes stayed glued to the prone form of the little girl.

She wasn't moving.

Was she dead?

Curiosity and fear collided within her, but a certain empathy born from experience shared won over and Hikaru neared cautiously the still unmoving figure.

Her ears twitched, picking up a heartbeat. Apparently the child was unconscious. She was unconscious but alive.

Hikaru put a hand on her wrist -_Alive and really cold-._

She unfortunately was not much taller than the human child but still managed to drag her onto her back.

Still wondering why she was doing this, the hanyo girl retraced the human's scent back to a little hut on the outskirt of the village.

Stepping inside, Hikaru twisted a bit to lay down the girl on her futon.

Spreading the covers on the now shivering body, she sat back on her haunches, hesitating.

Undecided, she looked around. The hut was built directly from the ground, no wood separating the feet from the dusty earth. There was only one close to bare room and Hikaru could spy at least three holes in the roof.

The hanyo girl sighed. She could almost hear her mother rant about the poor state of the little hut

Hikaru sighed again. There was no way she could walk away without feeling incredibly guilty.

When the little girl awoke, she blinked in surprise when she saw a fire crackle, two fishes busy roasting over it, and the usually stones and branch littered floor cleaned up, leaving an almost soft ground to walk on.

She tensed a bit when someone entered, only to relax when she saw Hikaru step into the tiny hut.

"Oh, you're awake." The hanyo girl noticed, putting down her load of wood to tend to the fire "Come and eat, you must be hungry."

The girl still said nothing, not even nodding as she got up to kneel beside the fire.

She took the fish and ate in silence. Hikaru sat stiffly on the opposite side, uncomfortable.

She could remember cries, shouts, insults and threats, but never before had someone looked at her with that kind of look. It was so…neutral, she couldn't find anything else to describe how this little girl was observing her.

The silence continued for a while, heavy, particles of dust hanging in the air.

Deciding enough was enough, Hikaru got up and dusted herself. She had already stayed here for a more than reasonable length of time and she had to go before the villagers noticed her and gave chase.

Huffing at her stupid curiosity, the hanyo girl turned to walk away.

A warm hand latched onto her wrist, gripping hard.

Surprised, Hikaru turned wide ice blue eyes to the human girl.

Pleading honeyed brown eyes held her gaze.

The girl didn't speak, but only someone blind could have missed the screamed message.

_Please don't leave me!_

Eyes widening even further, Hikaru froze as emotions she had so painfully locked away flood her for the second time.

Fear, hesitation, anxiousness, confusion…wonder?

"Why?" Hikaru hated hearing her voice so meek. In but a few minutes this girl had destroyed every defences she had built around herself.

Was she that feeble?

The human's eyes continued to plead, but her mouth never opened.

Hikaru felt herself crumbling despite her attempts to harden herself.

Sighing deeply, the hanyo girl admitted defeat and sat back down.

She knew this wasn't a good idea. The villagers were bound to notice her presence sooner or later.

Her place wasn't in a human village.

Her morose thoughts were abruptly put aside when the girl smiled.

Hikaru's eyes widened even further and her mouth hung open.

A flash of memory, a third flood of unwanted emotions.

The soft smile of a woman, a warm embrace, safety, soothing comfort.

Hikaru felt tears run down her cheeks but didn't bother rubbing them away.

The human girl was still smiling.

_Why? Why!_

More confused than ever, Hikaru could only continue to stare at the happy girl.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0::

Hikaru's ears twitched nervously.

_This isn't normal_

She watched the little girl skip happily in front of her, from time to time stopping to pick up an early flower to add to her bouquet.

Hikaru's ears twitched again. Everything was wrong. She wasn't supposed to be here. With the withdrawing of the snow she should have gone back to the forest. In her situation not moving constantly could mean her death, or at the very least big problems.

And the way the villagers were treating the girl wasn't helping.

Hikaru didn't want to accompany the girl to the village, but her recently increasing curiosity practically forced her to follow her from a distance, and she saw.

Oh yes, she saw. She saw how the women would sneer, the children taunt and the men simply look the other way.

Seeing behaviours like those, Hikaru could easily hate humans. The only thing keeping her from crossing the thin line between disgust, dislike and real hate was the memory of her mother's smile.

Her mother was one of the strongest, worthiest female Hikaru knew. The woman had singlehandedly raised her –and raised her well-, alone, without any help. Hikaru saw her stand high when people looked down on her for birthing her. She still had a twinkle in her eyes when she spoke of her mate, Hikaru's father.

Hikaru crushed down the warmth unfurling in her chest at the thought of her mother. She was dead and wouldn't come back. There was no use to think about it.

The hanyo girl pushed away the memories of the woman, along with the ones in which she begged and cried for the kamis to give her mother back when she was ripped from her in a far corner of her mind, concentrating back to the human girl in front of her.

How could the girl still smile? She was badly treated, and yet she was happily skipping ahead of her, collecting flower!

_How? How!_

She felt the need to shake the girl, badly. She wanted to scream at her, to see that she wasn't as happy as she pretended to be.

It shouldn't be possible!

A little white flower was trusted in front of her and Hikaru blinked.

She looked up to see the little girl smiling brightly at her.

As tears built up despite herself at the corners of her eyes, Hikaru realised she despised the tsunamis of emotions since she met this girl.

For a moment, she wanted to hate her, to really hate this girl that made her feel things she hadn't felt for decades now.

But those bright brown eyes prevented her more efficiently than any other means.

The only thing Hikaru was able to do was to cry.

She felt little arms surround her shoulders but didn't react. She suddenly felt so tired.

The little girl did nothing but continue to hug her, watching with compassionate eyes as Hikaru, after months of stress, finally broke down.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0::

Snow came and went, spring soon winning over the land as green replaced white. The atmosphere began to heat up slightly, wind bringing rains for the fields and the burgeoning plants.

The little human girl was still very confusing for Hikaru. The villagers treated her worse than the dirt under their feet, but she continued to smile. Children taunted her, underlining the fact that she was ugly, poor, resourceless, without any family, and she still went on her way with a skip in her steps. She seemed to hold no grudge against anyone.

She found joys in the simplest of things, like a little flower, a colourful insect or a funny shaped cloud. The first times Hikaru enquired about her well-being after a fall or an accident, she would be delighted and after the few ones that followed, she would smile softly, as if to thank her for her concern.

Hikaru, after months of somewhat reluctant cohabitation, found herself more puzzled and more lost about the little human girl than ever. Sometimes she couldn't help but think someone like her shouldn't exist.

Yet, here she was, trusting her like they had been friends for a long time

Yes, Hikaru couldn't say she understood the girl, but her strange behaviour had awakened something in her.

Curiosity.

She could remember through a hazy mist of early memories, her days as a very young pup. She was running everywhere, questioning her mother about everything, wanting to know all there was to know. The day her mother died had marked the end of her naïve thoughts and the beginning of ones set on surviving and surviving only.

But now, after living with this peculiar human girl for some time now, Hikaru couldn't help but feel somewhat inquisitive.

By now the hanyo girl was almost sure the girl had nothing. No parents, no family at all, no land to cultivate and no animals to raise. She had no income so no money, her kimono was ragged, old and torn, her feet were bare and Hikaru could perfectly see the scratches and bruises covering her little body.

Yet the girl was still smiling.

Said human girl, who until now had been skipping a bit ahead of her, suddenly turned back to her, her head tilted to the side.

Realising she had been falling behind, Hikaru hurried her step back to her place a few feet behind the girl, nodding to her that it was okay to continue.

She blinked when the human girl sent her a big smile.

Something fluttered in Hikaru's chest, something warm and brief.

The hanyo girl's lips' corners twitched uncontrollably.

The human girl's smile widened.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0::

Hikaru frowned down at her flower crown, which looked more like an inform mass of flowers and grass than a crown.

The human girl smiled. If she was able to Hikaru was sure she would have been giggling.

Hikaru froze, ears pinned down in her hair, when the little girl shuffled nearer, her knees touching hers.

Little hands took the 'crown' from her hands, fingers brushing against each other's.

Hikaru's ice blue eyes widened in fear and hesitation, years old reflex pleading, screaming to flee warring against new, confusing ones.

The human girl dismantled Hikaru's sad work before beginning a new crown.

Slowly, she took a few flowers with a blade of grass long enough, and showed how to continue.

She handed back the work and Hikaru hesitated a few seconds before taking it back.

She began working again, only to freeze once more when the girl gently took her hands in hers, guiding her fingers.

Hikaru shuddered violently, but didn't move any further.

Together, they finished the crown of chrysanthemum and with a smile the human girl placed it on top of Hikaru's head, careful of the girl's soft ears.

The triangular white and pink appendages twitched, guarded blue eyes boring into warm brown ones.

The human girl offered another bright smile.

Hikaru's lips curved into her own tentative one. A gentle wind blew on the two, playing with the girls' night and moon coloured hair before passing a gentle hand over the grass and returning to the blue sky.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0::

Hikaru crawled under a thick bush, her ears periodically twitching.

Her little nose quivered and ice blue eyes zeroed on a rabbit busy eating the grass in a little covered clearing.

The hanyo girl crouched down, her muscles tightening in preparation.

Hikaru lengthened her breathing, counting her heartbeat, waiting for the moment to strike.

The ear of the rabbit twitched and she pounced.

The hanyo girl tackled the furry animal to the ground and quickly broke his neck. After making sure her prey was definitively dead, Hikaru allowed a smile to stretch her lips. She and the girl would have meat for dinner tonight! With the villagers hunting around the village, animals were a rare dish for the two since the human girl couldn't travel too far from her home. Hikaru would have gone alone on a hunting trip but each time the girl would stare at her with a kicked puppy look. Hikaru simply couldn't resist those eyes.

Pleased with herself, she took the rabbit by its ears and began her trek back to the little hut she and the girl shared.

She was nearing the edge of the forest when she heard shuffles and harsh voices.

It was probably those mean boys from the village. They were a few years older than the girl and would bully every younger child they could get their hands on.

Usually Hikaru would have walked straight past them, not giving them any second glances. They just weren't worth her attention. They were too young to be a threat yet.

But today her nose picked up a particular scent mixed with the boys' grime and sweat (a really disgusting in Hikaru's opinion).

Spring wildflowers.

Something clenched in Hikaru's stomach and before she even registered what she was doing she had put her prey down and neared the source of the commotion.

The thing inside her that had clenched earlier froze when she recognised the girl in the middle of them.

Hikaru knew the girl was an easy prey for the boys, being always alone without anyone to back her up. Hikaru had seen her getting home with bruises and even sometime limping slightly.

She had never commented on them, and the girl had never asked for attention. But now, seeing her surrounded and kicked to the ground, Hikaru couldn't keep in the growl that ripped out of her throat.

It was a foreign sound to her ears, but a voice whispered to her mind, chanting foreign words that resonated strangely within her.

Ancient but new. Familiar but strange. She couldn't even make out words, only intents and urges.

Hikaru didn't question the voice further, preferring to act before the girl's condition worsened.

In an instant she was in front of the leader and pushed him back with all her might, sending the taller boy sprawling several metres away.

"Leave her alone!" Hikaru threatened, the growl still present in her voice.

The boys stayed frozen for about two seconds before one of them stuttered:

"D-d-d-d-demon!"

The world triggered screams and they all hightailed out of there, not even looking back and calling for their parents.

When Hikaru was sure they were gone she turned to see if the girl was alright.

Only to receive her in her arms.

The girl's own limbs surrounded her waist and the little human burrowed her head in Hikaru's shoulder, holding on tight.

The hanyo girl froze, muscles tightening in reflex, preparing to flee.

Hikaru's heartbeat sped up but the girl forced it to slow down and after a few moments lifted her own arms to the girl's shoulders.

Memories rushed to her. An embrace, warm and comfortable. Safety and belonging.

Hikaru held on a tiny bit tighter.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0::

Once again Hikaru was following the girl in the woods, her ears twitching from time to time in case someone had decided to follow them.

Life hadn't improved after the hanyo had rescued the girl from those bullies, far from it. On the contrary people were even more against her since new rumours about the girl having made a pact with a demon began circulating. Yes, now bullies left her mostly alone, but Hikaru was afraid the adults, who were way bigger threats, would act against her new friend.

Friend…it was a word Hikaru had chosen, echo of a distant past where her mother was alive.

The word didn't fully describe the emotions and instincts slowly and shyly awakening within her, but for now it was the best she had.

A sound reached her ears and Hikaru froze, trying to determine if it was a threat. Now in tune with her somewhat reluctant companion, the girl stopped and turned to her with a curious look.

The bushes rustled and two rabbits darted directly past the two bewildered girls to the other side of the path.

Hikaru blinked and shared a glance with the human girl, both surprised by such an unusual behaviour.

Curious, the human girl directed her steps to the place the animals had come from.

Hikaru's ears dropped when she saw what she was doing. It could be dangerous! What was she thinking?

But the hanyo knew the girl could be stubborn, so Hikaru followed.

Soon they could see a clearing, and Hikaru halted when she saw who was in it.

Fear gripped her heard like an icy fist.

Malevolent intentions, flashes of claws and fangs, red eyes glowing in the darkness, derisive laughter as she scrambles through a thick underbrushes in a desperate attempt to escape.

Hikaru caught the girl's hand in a tight clutch. Brown eyes turned her way and the hanyo shook frantically her head, ice blue eyes conveying panic and willing the human to turn away.

But the girl only smiled and took her hand out of Hikaru's grasp.

She walked to the edge of the clearing, curiosity mingling with anticipation.

When the demon turned to her, fangs glinting threateningly and eyes glowing red, the girl gasped before taking a step back. Hikaru had to clench tightly her hand against her mouth to restrain the scream that menaced to tore through.

She distinctively felt faint when the girl stepped _into_ the clearing.

The demon growled threateningly, though it wasn't as fiercely as the first time. The girl, still not looking away from him, reached for her bamboo and put it down on the ground before retreating.

Hikaru received her in her arms, intense relief to know she was out of reach from those claws. She hugged the girl tightly and even if she was surprised, the girl hugged back, simply happy.

Ice blue eyes looked up to see the demon's gaze, now a golden amber colour, had turned from the bamboo to them.

Immediately her white ears flattened in response to the cold glare he sent her way. Her grip on the girl tightened even more, almost bruising, and Hikaru pulled her friend away, praying that the demon wouldn't pursue them to kill them.

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**I hope you liked it. Don't hesitate to review to tell me what you think! **

**I will try to keep Sesshomaru (yes, it **_**is **_**Sesshomaru, in case someone had doubts) as in character as possible. But I warn my readers that a few changes will occur in this fanfic as the story to develop. Don't worry it will not happen suddenly. **

**For those who might have problems, perhaps this few points will help you.**

**Sesshomaru is a lord, so he has to be a strategist. Therefore, even if he will never admit it out loud, he can recognise when he made an error.**

**Sesshomaru is extremely prideful, but he isn't stupid, he will not forever stubbornly refusing a fact (even if the times he takes to accept it can be quite long).**

**Let's face it, Sesshomaru has the best poker face everyone has ever seen, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't feel anything. So when I'll describe his emotions, try to remind yourself that outwardly he still has the same stony face. I will write it if there is any facial changes.**

**Lastly, Sesshomaru is an incredibly difficult character to write about. So I apologise if anyone in the future thinks I don't portray him well enough. It is simply my point of view.**

**Until next week =) **


	2. Chapter 2

**I got accepted into the school I wanted to study in! ::Cue big grin and victory dance:: Yeah me!**

**This second chapter is quite short, I apologize. But I couldn't add anything to this moment to lengthen it since somehow the chapter refused to (stories have their own lives and will sometimes it **_**scary**_**). This will also be my first foray into Sesshomaru's mind. I hope I did well.**

**I don't own anything except Hikaru! ^_^ Read and enjoy! **

_xxx_

Chapter two

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He narrowed his eyes at the little human girl. She was annoying.

The fiercest of samurais cowered when facing him. Grown males run away screaming at the sight of him.

And this measly little girl looked back at him without fear, barely worried.

She was annoying, but he would be lying to himself if he said it wasn't intriguing.

And he refused to lie to himself. Curiosity has always been a flaw of his.

Hanyos were rare, because few survived the first decades of their lives. Parents often killed or abandoned their offspring. To see one so close to a human child was…a bit disconcerting and surprising

His gaze shifted to the fish on the large leaf the girl had previously put down in front of him. Was it so hard to understand he didn't eat human food?

He said nothing, not even acknowledging her. Humans were bothersome, taking what wasn't theirs and assuming things based on nothing.

"There you are!"

The phrase was uttered with a whispering voice, but he heard it as if it had been shouted.

He glanced as the hanyo child stepped at the edge, not daring to walk further in, eyeing him with fear in her eyes. Good, at least this one knew how to show proper respect, even if it was out of fear.

He could accommodate with that. He was used to being feared and the familiarity of the situation was a breath of fresh air against the strangeness of the human girl.

She must have memories of less savoury encounters with his kind. He couldn't blame her.

With a smile the human child ran to her and grabbed her hands.

He couldn't see her expression, but he saw the gradual subsidence of the hanyo's ears. A spark of defiance flashed through her ice blue eyes before she sighed.

"Alright." She mumbled, almost pouting.

That was also intriguing. They both hadn't spoken and yet the hanyo understood what the human girl was trying to say.

The hanyo turned away and disappeared in the forest. The human followed shortly after.

Finally some peace and quiet. With a bit of chance they wouldn't come back.

He doubted that, but it didn't hurt to be hopeful.

He rested a bit, and when he woke up the sun was already rising.

A scent he now could recognise easily reached his nose and a few minutes later the human girl appeared, carrying another leaf containing food useless for him.

He forced the exasperation down. Even if she was irritating, the girl was trying to help him. He had to admit such selfishness was rare in demon and human kind alike.

"No thanks."

The girl was a bit startled to hear him speak but still neared him to hand him the food.

Sesshomaru turned his gaze away, hoping the girl would understand she was dismissed. It didn't work before but it wouldn't hurt to try again "I told you I didn't need anything."

The girl looked down, disheartened. He warred with himself a moment but curiosity got, once again, the better of him.

"What's with those bruise on your face?"

He would never understand humans. Young ones should be protected and cared for. Demonesses had only one heat per decade and after that carrying a young to term was a challenge, depending on the reliability of the male and the mated pair's living condition. Even after that, raising the pup was also far from being easy and the young one's survival solely depended on its parents' strength.

Therefore, in demon society, at least in the majority of the clans, an offspring was a blessing. It played a role in assessing someone's strength, along with a few other factors. The more pups you successfully raised, the stronger it meant you were.

This was why he simply couldn't understand how someone could have hit the child, unless it was an enemy. But in that case it meant those looking after the human girl were weak.

He was brought out of his musing when the girl sent him a big smile.

That, more than anything, surprised him.

"Why are you smiling? I only asked a question?"

Indeed, how could something as simple as inquiring about her injuries could make her smile?

The hanyo chose that moment come back and let fall all the items she was carrying to the ground when she saw the girl's state.

"What happened?" She ran to her to inspect the bruises, for once unheeding of his presence "Is it those bullies again?"

The girl smiled brighter and shook her head. The hanyo sighed before walking back to the things she had brought. He eyed them discreetly. Apparently the child knew what she was doing. It was a bit surprising actually since hanyos had to fend for themselves and rarely had the opportunity to learn things such as this.

The hanyo found two rocks big enough before crushing the leaves of a long plant. She put half of the paste she obtained in the bamboo filled with water before taking the snake she had killed.

She opened it with a little claw and let the blood trail down the bamboo before closing it.

She shook it before stepping as near as she dared to the stoic demon. She put the item down before returning to the other half of the crushed leaves.

He could recognise a common medicine that helped regain strength. It would do anything to him as it suited more pups and sick demon, but he was still surprised how knowledgeable the girl was.

Said girl kneeled in front of the leaves' paste left on the rock and took it in her hands. She lightly spit on it before mixing and walking to the human.

"Stay still." She instructed before putting the paste on the bruises.

He looked with a passive face the exchange taking place. Never before had he seen something like that.

Quite intriguing.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Hikaru half refrained a smile when she saw the girl happily hop on one foot to the little hut she refused to call home. Never before had she seen her so joyful, including when she was picking flowers or the first time Hikaru had been worried about her.

Maybe it was the tall demon's doing?

No way. Demons delighted at making their prey run around in circle, be it in mind or body. They could only laugh as they descended upon their prey to devour them.

And humans weren't much better.

Hikaru had to pause at the thought. Her friend was human. She wasn't that bad was she?

She guessed that not all humans were bad. Like plants some were poisonous but other would help cure illness.

Did that mean the same for demons?

Hikaru frowned before sneezing.

Damn that irritating scent!

Wait…scent?

She sniffed around, nose crinkling when a mix of forest and blood assaulted her nose.

She glanced back at the girl to see she was almost at their hut.

"No!" She warned, rushing to her. Too late. The girl suddenly froze, staring at what something inside the hut before taking a step closer behind the little fence supporting the building.

Hikaru came behind her and froze, fear invading her body when she saw the wolf demon busy looking at them with widened eyes.

"What the…?" Wolves' howls resonated in the air "Crap!"

He ran past the two and jumped into the river, trying to cross it. Hikaru's ears flattened when the distinct sounds of screams reached her ears. The smell of blood became heavier and she gripped tightly the girl's shoulders when wolves ran to them, jumping on the fleeing demon before dragging him back to shore.

Hikaru only had the time to see another wolf demon walk through the lupines before focusing on the girl.

"We need to get out of here." She said, her gentle push belied by the tight grip on her friend's shoulder.

The human girl glanced at her eyes, seeing the fear swirling in the blue depth before nodding and letting her lead her away.

They were in the forest when the sounds of screams and snarls reached the human girl's ears.

She cowered, looking behind with frightened eyes. Hikaru squeezed her shoulders to keep her focused.

"Listen." She prompted "I need you to run. Go find cover okay? I'll lead them away."

Hikaru knew the wolves would eventually follow their trail. Alone she would have already been far, but now…

The girl turned uncertain eyes to her, and Hikaru knew that she needed some sort of reassurance if she wanted her to hide.

So, forcing herself a bit, she smiled.

The girl's eyes widened and she nodded before darting off.

Hikaru looked at her go and waited until she saw three wolves running to her.

She took a pebble and threw it. The rock hit the one leading the group and with a snarl the lupine narrowed its eyes on her.

Hikaru wasted no time in running away.

The wolves gave chase, never far from her. But Hikaru already had to flee from a pack of wolves and knew what to do.

She snatched a little yellow flower before crushing it in her palms and spreading its spores around.

That done, she found a tree she could climb and jumped on the first branch.

She found a nice hiding place within the high leaves and settled there.

When the wolves ran in the clearing, they began whizzing and sneezing, one of them even stumbling.

Hikaru smirked and began plotting her next move (she knew wolves were harder to loose than that) when a howl resonated.

The wolves under her raised their head, ears pricked forward, before darting away.

Surprised, but not ungrateful for the distraction, Hikaru climbed down her tree and proceeded to find her friend.

The scent of her blood suddenly invaded her nose.

"No…"

Fear and dread almost suffocated her. Images of her mother lying dead on the ground, surrounded by a pool of her own blood while her attackers laughed.

Hikaru burst onto the path of dirt to find the girl being held by the tall demon.

She barely noticed the little kappa as the demon let the girl on her own feet. She barrelled to her, trapping her in a vicious hug.

"You're unharmed." She said weakly, her voice trembling with relief and unshed tears "You're alright"

The girl smiled and hugged back tightly before noticing the demon living.

She managed to detangle herself from Hikaru's hold and took her hand before directing her to follow him.

Hikaru resisted, fear and distrust clear in her blue gaze. Seeing this, the girl stopped tugging and smiled reassuringly.

"Everything will be alright."

Hikaru's eyes widened.

"D-Did you just…?"

The girl smiled a bit more before taking back the hanyo's hand and tugging her forward.

"_Everything will be alright my little angle, don't worry."_

Shocked, emotionally tired, busy fighting the tears, Hikaru could do nothing but follow.


	3. Chapter 3

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Chapter three

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The little village was bursting with life. The houses were built along a large commercial road and numerous people often decided to make a pause in the inns or shop for more supplies.

Among the silk robed ladies and the arguing men, Hikaru slithered her way through the crowd, her ears and hair safely tucked under a piece of cloth.

She eyed a stand showing off all sort of clothing articles and her gaze fell on a kimono designed for children. It had a yellow and orange checker pattern with a yellow slash.

Remembering how Rin loved those colours, Hikaru walked to the stand, waiting until the merchant was busy arguing with a powdered thin woman about the prices before snatching the cloth away, grabbing an under kimono and sandals on the way out of town. She even found ties for their hair.

"Hikaru-chan!" Rin exclaimed happily when she saw the hanyo walking to her. She bounced lightly her way to her friend "I found everything! And you?"

Hikaru nodded with a little smile before presenting her the kimono "I hope you like it, I saw it and…"

She didn't get the chance to finish as Rin let out a squeal before hugging her tightly "I love it thank you! Let's go wash and change!"

She grabbed Hikaru's hand and led her back to camp. They entered the little clearing and Jaken was almost immediately on them.

"Why did you take so long? You humans and hanyos have no sense of time!"

Rin ignored him and put down her own bundle to unravel soap, washcloths and even a comb. Hikaru checked their surrounding before letting out a discreet sigh of relief.

He wasn't around.

She didn't want to sadden Rin, who was strangely very fond of Sesshomaru, but she was still afraid of him.

Him being near her sent her alarms blaring and for quite some time now she hadn't had a good night sleep. When he was in the camp with them she just couldn't rest properly.

She was doing her best, for Rin, to accept him, but she couldn't even accept Jaken. Frankly the only thing keeping her here was her friend.

Hikaru still couldn't understand why she was staying with Rin. All she knew was that each time she even thought of going away on her own, the nonsensical voice within her would rebel, becoming pain and forbidding her to abandon the girl.

She just couldn't leave.

She had tried to convince Rin to leave with her, but the girl seemed to worship the lord on the same level Jaken did (though with a lot more decorum than the kappa).

"_I owe my life to him, so I can't leave him. He's my lord now."_

And the human girl had said that with such determination that Hikaru knew trying to get her to follow her would be a waste of time.

So here she was, bathing in a stream with Rin, Jaken scowling at them from afar and a two headed dragon busy eating grass.

"Let me wash your hair Hikaru-chan!" Rin said, taking the bar of soap in her hand.

The hanyo didn't have the heart to say no and in the end even let the girl convince her to wash her hair in return.

She had to admit it was nice to have someone to tend to you, and tending back in return. It gave her a strange warmth in her chest. It was light, but it was there.

So busy with her though, Hikaru didn't see the incoming danger.

Suddenly she sputtered, pushing water away from her eyes to look at a giggling Rin with an incredulous stare.

Rin smirked before trying to splash her again.

This time Hikaru dodged and, reacting more than acting, threw back a wave of water.

Soon they got engaged in a water war and Hikaru couldn't help the smile that stretched her lips.

"Damn it you stupid girls stop it!"

Both females froze and turned to see Jaken drenched from head to toe. The little kappa was fuming, glaring at them with bulbous yellow eyes.

Hikaru and Rin looked at each other before bursting in laughter.

"Don't laugh you foolish girls!" Jaken screeched, stomping his feet.

It only made them laugh harder.

Dejected, understanding he wouldn't win, Jaken stomped back to his sit and laid down, glaring at them.

After a while they stopped and climbed back to shore to get dried and clothed.

"You know." Rin smiled "You're beautiful when you smile."

Hikaru blinked, surprised, before offering a tentative smile. Rin smiled back tenfold before gathering the comb she had stolen.

"Alright let's do each other hair!"

This time there was close to no resistance and Hikaru sat down to let Rin work on her tresses. The little girl untangled them swiftly, careful of the ears, before braiding the two strands falling in front of her shoulders and pulling them back in a half ponytail.

When it was the human girl's turn Hikaru brushed her hair, fighting a bit with some tangles before tying Rin's bang in a side ponytail.

Once the task was finished they put back their things into the cloth Hikaru had used to cover her ears and hair with before putting the bundle into the pouches of the two headed dragon's saddle.

"You know." Rin mused out loud, staring at the beast busy grazing "I don't think it has a name."

"Of course not you useless girl!" Jaken scoffed "It does not needs one."

But Rin wasn't listening to him, glancing at the dragon which had turned its heads to her.

She threw a bright smile to Hikaru "How about we name it!"

"I…don't see why not." The hanyo girl shrugged. Surely Sesshomaru wouldn't mind (or care) if they named the beast "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, it has two heads." Rin tapped a finger on her chin thoughtfully "So it needs two names, but two names that go well together. It would be best if they were short too… what about Aimi?"

The dragon, who had neared them when he understood it was the subject of their conversation, growled.

"No? Then what about…Aina?"

Another growl.

"Airi?"

::Growl::

"Aki?"

This time the dragon whined, both heads shaking.

"Perhaps it doesn't like feminine names?" Hikaru ventured "Try boy names."

"Alright then…Daichi?"

One of the heads shook.

"Daiki?"

The other did the same.

"Hikaru-chan?"

The hanyo girl blinked, her mind blank "Ah…"

"Ah? Ah…Un. What about AhUn?"

The dragon thought about it, the two heads silently conversing with each other before nodding.

Rin smiled victoriously before scratching the left head who purred in delight.

Hikaru tensed when the other head pressed against her chest. She looked at Rin, lost, and the girl smiled reassuringly at her before continuing scratching the other head.

Tentatively, Hikaru raised a hand and put it on the scruffy mane of the head before petting it.

Ah (or was it Un?) rumbled in pleasure.

Hikaru continued to pet the head and relaxed bit by bit, to the point that she was smiling.

The scent of ice mixed with poison reached her nose and she froze.

Sesshomaru appeared and Rin went to greet him cheerfully. He ignored her and walked past the unfazed little girl to a near tree where he sat down.

His gaze swept by Jaken, AhUn and Hikaru (who tensed) before closing his eyes, unheeding of his kappa servant's babble.

Hikaru gently pushed AhUn away before going to sit at the other end of the clearing, tense, her ears twitching nervously.

Rin looked at her and sighed before going to sit with her.

The girl wished Hikaru could see what she was seeing. All her life people looked at her with disgust and hatred, a fleeting glance before occupying themselves with more important matters. She was just some orphan who should be grateful to still be alive.

But Lord Sesshomaru didn't look at her like that. Sure, his gaze was always blank, but when he looked at her his gaze was far from uninterested. Rin wasn't sure why, but it made her feel wanted, something she hadn't felt since her family was alive.

That, and lord Sesshomaru was extremely strong. He hadn't chased them away, so it meant that they could stay and be protected. If lord Sesshomaru was with them they wouldn't have to fear anyone attacking them again.

But she was at loss at what to do to make Hikaru relax. It took her months to get the hanyo girl to trust her.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

They were travelling. Where, Hikaru had no idea. Jaken was holding AhUn's reins, following Sesshomaru. Rin was skipping a bit ahead of her, gazing at their surroundings.

They came out of the forest to the banks of a lake.

Rin gasped, eyes widening in awe.

"It's beautiful!"

"Jaken." Sesshomaru instructed in a cold voice "Settle camp here."

"Yes milord!" The little toad scrambled away, leading AhUn to graze.

"Let's go gather firewood Hikaru." Rin said before beginning to search.

By the time they had gathered a big enough pile of branches for their fire, Sesshomaru had already disappeared.

They built it efficiently and Hikaru went to find them dinner.

She stayed near the lake for landmark and managed to find rabbits.

She had succeeded into pinning one down and was about to swiftly break its neck when a roar came from her right, along with a big splash of water.

Something collided with her frame and she was sent hurling into the water.

Dizzy and her body ringing from the blow, Hikaru couldn't discern the top from the bottom. She felt something slimy clench around her ankle and looked…down? To see glowing red eyes and glinting fangs.

On reflex she screamed, letting out a stream of bubbles and shortening on dangerous level her already short supply of air.

The fangs filled mouth opened wide, ready to swallow her whole.

Intense fear coursed through her, colliding with a strong will to survive. The two feeling built up and suddenly a thin spear of ice impaled the soft gummy flesh.

Roaring, the beast let her go and spying sunlight, Hikaru swam to it.

She broke the surface and grasped for air like a starved animal.

"Hikaru-chan!" She heard Rin call from the shore.

She turned to her friend only for a dragon to rise from the water behind her.

Its malevolent eyes fixed her down and Hikaru's eyes widened. She knew trying to swim away wouldn't do any good and she could already feel the drain following the use of her power weakening her limbs.

"Hikaru!" Rin screamed in fright as the dragon bent down to kill her friend.

The girl saw a flash of green light and the next second the beast fell back into the water…in several pieces.

"Mylord!" Jaken recognised.

Rin ran to the shore and stepped into the troubled water as far as she could, helping Hikaru stand up.

"Are you alright?" She asked worriedly, sitting her friend near the fire.

Hikaru nodded, shivering but unharmed.

She glanced at Sesshomaru. The demon was standing in front of the water, his eyes scanning the watery depth. He then walked to a tree and sat against it, stoic as always.

While Rin fretted over her, Hikaru couldn't help but glance repeatedly at the unmoving demon.

Sure he was scary, but he had saved her life. A pessimist little voice in her head whispered that it wasn't intentional, but still.

She tried to reason. He had protected them (she didn't know why, but he had), he let them follow him and Rin liked him. Hikaru knew the little girl wasn't as trusting as she looked.

And, had he wanted to kill them, he would already have done so.

She wasn't going to imitate Rin, far from it. But she guessed she could make an effort.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

A soft wind swept by the group, tangling briefly in Sesshomaru's silvery locks.

The daiyokai turned his gaze away from the moon to stare at the two children curled up against the newly dubbed AhUn. Their hair mixed together, moon white and midnight black strands twirling around each other.

They were annoying. The human talked too much, with a high pitched voice. The hanyo reeked of fear and distrust the moment she saw him. He remembered the first nights when she refused to sleep, staring at him warily until exhaustion claimed her.

It had changed a bit since he had slayed the dragon.

He still didn't know why he had accepted to let them follow him, but his honour forced him to protect them from danger. He had let them tag along, and them being defenceless young ones, he couldn't just walk away when that water dragon attacked. That, and it had been his fault. His mind had been so caught up with how to obtain the tetsusaiga that he hadn't noticed the faint simmer of youki under the lake.

Anyway, since he had killed the threat, the hanyo girl had been…less tense. At least now he could clearly see how she forced herself to relax when he was around. For that he was grateful, the stench of fear was irritating after a while.

He knew it could have been worse. The children knew how to fend for themselves and they weren't clingy. They even kept Jaken away from him from time to time, the toad sometime too busy scowling them to notice.

Yes, it could have been worse.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

"…And you're so slow, we have to stop so many times it's troublesome. And you need to eat too often…"

Hikaru was glad she was finally getting used to Jaken's ramblings. During the first week she had headaches almost constantly from his babbling and her ears ringing from his shrill voice.

She really wished she knew how Rin did it to completely ignore him.

She turned to her friend to see her busy staring up at the sky.

"And you're graceless, far from demonesses upstanding and…"

"Quiet Jaken."

Sesshomaru's voice resonated, grave and inflexible. The kappa squeaked before complying.

The tall demon tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowing, before stating coldly "The tetsusaiga…"

"Milord?" Jaken inquired "Does that mean that Inuyasha is here?"

"No." Sesshomaru began walking again, directing his path to the right "But a dead demon is."

"A dead demon?" Jaken squawked before noticing his lord walking away "Ah! Wait for me milord!"

"Yay!" Rin jumped down AhUn and ran after him "Let's race master Jaken!"

"I'm not racing with you, you unbearable child!"

Hikaru sighed with a smile and hoped down AhUn too, taking the beast's reins.

"Let's go before they get into too much trouble."

The dragon rumbled its agreement before letting her lead it after their group.

Mist soon enveloped them and Hikaru barely saw the first houses when they entered the village, at least what was left of them.

She flinched when she heard Rin scream and saw Sesshomaru walking back to her and AhUn with a…was that a head?

Her nose crinkled when the scent of death and dried blood reached her nose.

"Mylord?" Jaken asked above Rin screams "Are you taking that?"

He didn't answer him "Silence Rin, you make too much noise."

The little girl obeyed immediately "Yes milord."

Hikaru sighed and scowled at her friend when she came back to her. Jaken took AhUn's reins from her and they followed after the lord.

"What were you thinking, screaming like that?" She asked, rubbing her still aching ears.

Rin offered her a sheepish smile "Sorry."

Hikaru frowned but didn't push it.

They walked until the sun set down. They settled into a clearing before Sesshomru walked away.

"Come with me Jaken."

"Yes milord." The kappa scrambled after him, leaving Rin and Hikaru with AhUn.

"I'll go catch some fishes." Rin said "You gather firewood?"

Hikaru nodded and they set to their task, AhUn lying down and keeping an eye out for danger.


	4. Chapter 4

**I got my first review! Yeah! ::Does a happy dance:: I know I'm a bit pathetic but I don't care that much. Anyway a big thank to Luna Rosetta Ros for her review. I hope you'll like this chapter.**

**Please read and enjoy. Once again don't hesitate to leave a little review for the author to share your opinion on this story!**

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Chapter four

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"So I'll stand against that tree." Rin explained, all business like "I'll keep my face against the bark but at any moment I can turn back. When I do, if I see any of you move I can make you go back to the starting line. Got it?"

Hikaru and AhUn nodded.

Nodding to herself Rin turned her face against the trunk and Hikaru tentatively took a few steps, AhUn following her.

Rin suddenly whirled around and the two froze, Hikaru stuck in a dance like pose and AhUn trying to balance on two feet.

It almost got it until Ah sneezed, sending the dragon falling toward Hikaru who had no choice but to throw herself away.

Rin laughed "Hikaru! AhUn! Back to the starting line!"

Hikaru looked up and pouted, which only made Rin giggle harder. Suddenly a smirk stretched the hanyo's lips.

"How about we play a new game?"

Rin stopped laughing and turned to her, curious.

"I'm sure you'll love it." Hikaru's smirk widened "It's called let's tickle Rin."

"You wouldn't."

Hikaru's smirk widened and she suddenly darted forward.

Rin shrieked and ran away.

Laughter soon resonated in the clearing as the two circled AhUn in an effort to escape and catch.

Sesshomaru opened his eyes to glance at the two. He saw the smiles highlighting their faces and heard their giggles as they ran around a confused AhUn. He took in all that and decided that the joy wafting of them at that moment was much more agreeable than the usual scent of fear. For some reason it made him relax.

Refusing to dwell on it for he had no explanation, he turned his mind to other more pressing matters.

Jaken was late.

He got up and began walking to Kajinbo's place.

"Stay here." He instructed shortly.

"Yes milord." Rin answered readily.

Hikaru didn't, but he knew he had been heard.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

For once Rin was silent, looking a bit morose since her lord was late.

"Don't worry Rin-chan." Hikaru put a hand on the girl's shoulder "I'm sure they won't be long now."

Rin sighed "I know, but the sun has already set."

Hikaru tried to think of something reassuring to say when a new scent tickled her nose. It smelled of decay, a particular brand of poison she had never smelt before and…wind?

Curious, Hikaru got up and neared the threshold, peering inside the darkness in hope to see something.

She was able to make out a shape but at that moment another scent invaded her nose. Ice and poison, accompanied by Jaken's shrill voice.

She tensed when Rin got up to greet her lord, but forced herself to relax.

She heard Sesshomaru stop "Rin, stay put."

Wondering why the demon had asked that, Hikaru turned to them only to find him in the air.

He flexed his claws and Hikaru instinctively tensed. However he aimed at the trees and a woman shot out to avoid being cut down.

Hikaru frantically backed away to dodge the falling trunks, landing at Sesshomaru's level.

"That smell." Jaken recognised "It's the same smell as the one who approached you with the arm with the sacred shikon shard jewel. The one wearing the baboon hide. Because of him we went through a hell of a time. You almost got devoured by an arm, and I was beaten to a pulp by that depraved monk! Just reminding that time makes me sick!"

"I remember this scent." Sesshomaru stated, his eyes not leaving the woman, obviously unheeding of Jaken's rambling "The same scent as the one who tried to trap me, the beast Naraku."

"Hmm…?" The woman smirked a bit, assurance bordering on arrogance rolling off her in waves "So you're Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's older brother? Pretty slim."

Hikaru blinked. Was that a compliment? She curiously glanced up at Sesshomaru, who was as stoic as ever, totally unaffected.

"I am Kagura the wind witch." The woman introduced herself "Just another incarnation of Naraku."

"Incarnation?" Sesshomaru asked.

Kagura smirked "Yes, and the fangs you gave to Kajinbo to make the sword were those of a demon named Goshinki. Like me, he was also created out of Naraku."

"So what? Did you come just to tell me that?" Haruki could hear a hint of annoyance in demon lord's tone.

With an amused huff Kagura opened her fan and hid the lower part of her face "Don't you smell it? The sword which reeks with the aura from Goshinki. Tokijin is close."

Her scarlet gaze descended on Hikaru and the hanyo girl's ears tilted back on reflex, eyeing the woman warily.

She gave another amused huff "I'm surprised though. The great demon lord of the west that despises his own hanyo brother to the point of trying to kill him, has in his group a hanyo himself."

Hikaru's ears plastered on her head and she took a step back, glancing with wide eyes at a stoic Sesshomaru. He had a hanyo brother? And he was trying to kill him? What about her?

Kagura smirked before plucking a feather out of her hairstyle. With a swish of wind the item enlarged and she climbed on it, flying off.

"The sword is yours." She shouted before disappearing.

"What's with that woman?" Jaken grumbled, stepping beside his lord "So arrogant."

Sesshomaru detached his gaze from the sky and glanced behind him at Rin, who was still frozen.

"Rin, you may move."

With a sigh of relief the little girl relaxed from her frozen pose "Okay."

She stretched and fell, Jaken looking at her weirdly.

Sesshomaru's gaze then glided to Hikaru who froze, ears firmly pressed against her skull.

He found himself…disconcerted to see her back like in the first days of travelling with him. He was a bit surprised when something inside him urged him to reassure her so that she could relax back to her former state.

Hikaru jumped when she heard his voice.

"The reasons I despise my brother are personal and have nothing to do with the fact that he is a hanyo." His voice a devoid of emotion but his words were sincere "I accepted you and Rin into my group and it would be dishonourable if I harmed one under my protection."

Wide ice blue eyes blinked back at him, wary but surprised.

Sesshomaru turned away and walked to AhUn. He strapped off the muzzles and climbed on the dragon who immediately took the sky.

"Wait milord!" Jaken exclaimed, tears in his eyes "Why are you leaving me, your faithful servant, with these two annoying girls? You're so cruel."

"Hikaru-chan?" Rin asked, nearing her friend "Are you alright?"

The hanyo nodded, still looking at the retreating figures in the sky.

A part of her wanted to rebel, telling her it was merely a trick to earn her trust and stab her back. But…

His words had seemed so sincere, and he had protected them from the dragon.

Perhaps she could try to trust him, even if it was just a bit.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Hikaru looked up to the canopy of leaves blocking the sky form view. She could barely see the sun anymore. The forest was mostly silent and fresh, a great respite from the glare of the summer heat.

She and Rin were riding on AhUn, Jaken leading the dragon. Sesshomaru was walking slightly ahead.

"Your late father's friend lives deep in the forest my lord." Jaken commented.

"Welcome." An old voice sounded "I've been waiting."

"A voice from the sky." Rin gasped, looking up.

Hikaru poked her shoulder and when she got her attention silently pointed to an old tree in a tiny clearing a bit ahead of them.

"I've been waiting for you arrival." A protuberance on the trunk morphed into a face "Sesshomaru."

"You knew I was coming Bokuseno?" The tall demon asked.

"A tree demon!" Rin exclaimed, stretching to better see.

"Mylord." Jaken asked "What is it?"

"A 2000 years old magnolia tree."

"The sheath of tenseiga and tetsusaiga both came from my boughs." The tree informed them.

"Bokuseno." Sesshomaru cut the conversation short "I want to know the relationship between Inuyasha and the tetsusaiga."

"Hikaru-chan." Rin whispered to the hanyo as the two demon began talking, Sesshomaru relating what had happened with his brother "Is it possible for a tree to be a demon?"

"Well, yes." The hanyo answered distractedly, still trying to listen to the conversation "Most demons basically are animals, just more developed on certain aspects. We detach ourselves from mere beast but with still retain basic instincts depending on the animal we come from."

Rin smiled "Is this why you like to be scratched behind the ears?"

Hikaru blushed a bit but nodded. It was true that she loved when Rin scratched behind her ears. She actually wondered if she was becoming addicted to it as she was ready to transform into a puddle of mush each time her friend did it.

Bokesuno's words brought the girls back to the main converstion.

"If he's backed into a corner and is life is in danger, in order to protect his life, his demon blood takes control of the body and transforms. However, the pure demon blood of his father is too strong for a half demon."

"So?" Sesshomaru asked "What happens?"

"Let me see…It could be said that the demon blood devours the soul. He cannot recognises himself, he cannot differentiate between friend and foe…he just kills. And in that transformation, Inuyasha will eventually lose his soul. He will become a demon who only knows how to fight and kill. He will continue to fight until he's destroyed."

"How horrible." Rin whispered, exchanging a glance with Hikaru.

The hanyo nodded, a sudden thought coming to mind.

What if something like that happened to her?

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

"Got one!" Rin exclaimed happily as she held up a squirming fish in her hands.

She turned to see Hikaru sitting a bit away, morosely poking the embers of the fire. Worried for her friend, the girl swiftly killed her catch and put it down to go kneel beside the hanyo.

"Something's bothering you." She simply said "Do you want to talk about it?"

Hikaru was reluctant, but Rin simply waited with a smile.

"It's about what Bokuseno said." The hanyo girl surrendered with a sigh "About Sesshomaru-sama's brother being overpowered by his demon blood."

"You're afraid something similar is going to happen to you?"

Hikaru blinked in surprise. Has she been that transparent?

Rin took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I can't say this will not happen to you, but I also can't say it will happen. One thing's for sure, if one day you lose yourself, I'll be right there to keep you on the right path. And I'm sure Sesshomaru-sama will help too. He's very strong so he will be able to keep you from killing anyone."

Some part of her dreaded the day Rin would be confronted to her possessed side, afraid for her friend's life. But another part was actually glad to know she wouldn't abandon her.

She offered a tentative smile "Thank you."

They heard Jaken's voice even before the scent of ice and poison reached Hikaru's nose.

"Lord Seshomaru!" Rin greeted happily, skipping to him "Welcome back!"

He glanced at her before briefly directing his gaze to Hikaru.

He felt weirdly pleased when the hanyo didn't tense, only stared back at him with inquisitive blue eyes.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Relaxing under a tree, Sesshomaru opened his eyes to scan his group.

Jaken was snoring against AhUn, the dragon also resting now that its master was here to protect them.

Hikaru and Rin were playing a bit away in a grassy meadow, completely absorbed in their imaginary world where Rin was a hime wielding strange powers because of her magical necklace (a flower she had picked up) and Hikaru a female warrior carrying an invulnerable sword (a wooden stick).

He had heard the two talk about Hikaru's condition while walking back to camp (he had been trying to actively ignore Jaken's babbling). This got him curious.

He had closely inspected the girls' scent while they slept and was surprised to find a new kind of scent he hadn't picked up at the beginning.

It was close to a hanyo, like Inuyasha, but yet it wasn't. There was…a hint of more power that threw of the balance.

Now that he thought about it, he remembered his beast stirring the tiniest bit when he had closely checked the girls for scent, so brief and vague he hadn't registered it until now. It was unsettling.

Sesshomaru prided himself with his control. The basic instincts that made his beast were under a tight leash. To feel it react, even so little, meant something.

But he didn't know what.

Abandoning the thought, Sesshomaru allowed his mind wander elsewhere.

Rin and Hikaru suddenly cheered, having defeated their imaginary foe. They rejoiced, their laughter carrying with the wind to Sesshomaru's ears.

He briefly thought of a time before them, where it was just him and Jaken.

He tried to imagine a future without them.

His face didn't show any change, but inwardly he frowned when he discovered this kind of future strangely felt…empty.

He rather liked their laughter.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm dead tired, but I braved my exhaustion to update. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer, I don't own Inuyasha and its character, only Hikaru.**

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Chapter five

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Haruki was shaken awake by an excited Rin.

"What is it Rin-chan?" She asked blearily, sitting and rubbing her eyes, her ears struggling to straighten on her head.

"Look look!" Rin whispered, a huge smile on her friend.

She pointed something behind her. Haruki turned around and her eyes widened at the sight before her.

"Fireflies!" She said in awe, a smile stretching her lips despite her tiredness.

The glowing insects were fluttering on the field, their meagre lights brushing against the blades of grass covering the ground. They seemed to be dancing, flying around each other with hesitant but graceful steps.

Rin got up and took Haruki's hand to tug her up "Come on."

The white haired hanyo shook the last remnants of sleep and followed.

Soon they were caught up in their games, laughing while trying to catch one of the luminescent insects.

AhUn opened an eye before falling back asleep. The girls were safe and there was no danger around. Jaken glared at them and was about to say something when a rock collided with his head.

He scrambled up and turned to find his lord's displeased gaze.

Frantically he bowed several times before sitting back tensely, careful not to make a sound.

Sesshomaru, once he was sure his retainer wouldn't disturb the peace again, turned back his gaze to the laughing girls chasing after the fireflies.

Images flashed in his mind, long forgotten memories of his distant past. A pup only a few decades old chasing after glowing insects.

Hikaru jumped and finally caught one. Rin joined her and they marvelled a moment at the light emitting from inside her clasped hands before setting the insect free. The game renewed.

Lost in their play, they tried to catch a particularly brilliant specimen, but the clever insect was careful to fly out of their reach.

Suddenly a pale hand trapped the insect and a pair of blue and brown eyes looked up to see Sesshomaru towering above them.

He lowered his hand and released the firefly just before Rin's hands who caught it before it escaped again.

"Thank you Sesshomaru-sama." The girl sent him a large grateful smile.

Hikaru blinked looking lengthily at him before whispering "Yes, thank you."

Sesshomaru nodded and went back to his place under a tree.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

They were walking again, and Hikaru and Rin were trying to do so while looking up at the star filled sky.

"Ah!" Rin exclaimed, pointing to a flash of silver above them "A shooting star."

She put her hands over her heart and closed her eyes before turning to Hikaru.

"Won't you make a wish too Hikaru-chan?"

The hanyo girl frowned "I'm…not sure what to wish for."

Rin blinked but didn't push it.

"Rin, Hikaru, don't fall behind."

The girls looked ahead to see Sesshomaru looking back at them, AhUn and Jaken stopping to wait for them.

"Yes my lord." Rin said before grabbing Hikaru's hand and rushing forward.

They began walking again in silence. Soon Rin became too tired and climbed onto AhUn to sleep. Hikaru joined her but stayed awake, sitting near her friend and gazing up at the sky.

She was distracted when the necklace onto her neck pulsed gently. Tensing, the girl fished it out of her collar to look at the blue jewel pendant.

It pulsed again, giving a warning Hikaru was familiar with.

The hanyo closed her hand tightly and wished that her group stop soon so she could discreetly slip away.

Sesshomaru chose that moment to stop, Jaken almost running into him.

A strong smell, carried by the wind, assaulted Hikaru's nose. The girl recognised the scent of that woman they encountered earlier last month.

"Sesshomaru-sama?" The green toad asked.

"It's his scent."

Curious, Jaken sniffed around before his eyes widened "This smell…the smell of that fellow who was rude to you…that Naraku! Is he nearby?"

Suddenly a strong gust of wind swept by the cliff, almost blowing Jaken off. Hikaru noticed Rin slipping from AhUn and steadied her.

When she looked up, she saw the wind witch Kagura standing in front of Sesshomaru.

"Yo." She greeted, unheeding of Jaken's indignant squawks "Sesshomaru, did you follow Naraku's scent too?"

"Wind sorceress Kagura I recall?" Sesshomaru gazed at her with an indifferent expression.

The woman smirked "I'm glad you remember me." She saw the demon reach for his sword and raised her fan "Take your hand off your sword. I didn't come here to fight. Sesshomaru, I want to make a deal with you."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed ever so slightly "A deal?"

Kagura raised a hand, showing two glowing shards "Do you know what these are? I'll give these sacred jewel shards to you. In return, kill Naraku. Free me from his grip."

"You intend to betray Naraku?"

Kagura snorted "It's not like I ever wanted to be under his command. So? What do you say? It's not a bad idea to team up together."

"Unfortunately, I have no interest in the sacred jewel. If you wish to be free, use the shards yourself and destroy Naraku."

Kagura frowned "Are you afraid of Naraku?"

"I'm just saying I'm under no obligation to help you. If you don't have the resolve to do it alone, don't even think about betrayal."

"You coward!" The wind witch exclaimed "And you call yourself a man?"

Hikaru distinctively heard Jaken gasp.

Dejectedly, Kagura took out one of her feather and rose into the sky.

"That woman." Jaken mused as he watched her go "I wonder if she really intended to make you her protector. Talk about gall…the nerve of her! A part of Naraku, that's all she is."

Haruki's ears dropped a bit at the disgusted tone in Jaken's voice.

She knew Kagura was an enemy, it wasn't that hard to guess. But she couldn't help to feel pity. Pity and empathy.

All her life people had condemned her for something she had no power over. It wasn't her fault she was born like she was.

And here Jaken was condemning Kagura because she was born from Naraku. She hadn't chosen her place of birth, and apparently was forced to serve the man.

"You don't choose your birth master Jaken." She said in a soft voice.

The kappa turned around to scold her, only to shut his beck when coming face to face with Hikaru's solemn, if not sad blue gaze.

Sesshomaru glanced at her over his shoulder, looking at her with unwavering golden eyes.

"You don't choose your birth, but you can choose your destiny."

White ears perked up somewhat and curious blue eyes turned to him.

Sesshomaru's gaze turned back ahead.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Rin stirred, feeling the sun's warmth on her eyelids.

Yawning, she sat up and stretched. AhUn greeted her with a gentle growl.

"Good morning AhUn!" The little girl greeted back, petting the heads before getting up.

She looked around, noticing a snoozing Jaken.

Where was Hikaru?

Perhaps she was hunting. If this was the case then she had to prepare the fire.

She busied herself, gathering enough firewood and preparing the ground. She lighted the timbers and waited.

Still no Hikaru.

She waited a bit more but when no one came she got up and began searching the surrounding woods, calling her friend's name.

When she didn't find anyone she came back to camp, extremely worried.

"I can't find Hikaru! AhUn, did you see where she went?"

The two headed dragon got up and the two heads lowered to the ground, sniffing.

They began moving to the right and Rin followed.

They walked for quite some time, to a clearing housing a little river complete with its waterfall.

Tired, Rin knelt on the banks to take a drink. She straightened to see AhUn near the waterfall. The two heads were staring intently at something behind it.

Curious, Rin neared the dragon and took a step on a flat stone. She stretched her head and caught a glimpse of white and blue fabric.

"Hikaru-chan?" She called "Are you in there"

Nobody answered and, frowning, Rin stepped on another rock, supporting herself on AhUn as this one was more slippery than the last one.

"Don't come any closer."

"Hikaru-chan!" Rin smiled in relief when she recognised the voice "What are you doing here so far from camp?"

"Just leave me alone!"

Rin frowned at the panic in her friend's voice "What's going on? Why don't you come out?"

"No! Go back to the camp!"

Rin shook her head stubbornly and proceeded to step behind the waterfall, unheeding of AhUn's warning rumble.

What had to happen happened and the girl slipped on a wet rock. She fell into the river with a cry of surprise, thankfully avoiding hitting her head on a random rock.

"Rin-chan!" Hikaru plunged after her and managed to grab her elbow before the currant could drag her deeper in.

They surfaced again and AhUn used this opportunity to snatch onto their clothes and plucking them out of the water.

Rin coughed out water before looking up "Thank you Hikaru….chan?"

She blinked, taking in the black haired, brown eyed little girl in front of her. Hikaru lowered her gaze and tensed.

Rin blinked after a while "Wh-What happened?"

Hikaru bit her lips, reluctant to tell "It happens…once a year."

Finally Rin managed to shake herself from her surprise induced gazing and asked "What happens once a year Hikaru-chan? You can tell us. AhUn and I will never tell anyone."

The two headed dragon rumbled its approval, both heads nodding.

Hikaru looked up, hesitating, before deciding to take the chance. Rin had after all been with her for a year and was still there.

"Well, once in the year I transform into a human for one day. The problem is that this day is random."

She retrieved her necklace from her soaked clothes "This pendant helps me. It's a gift from my father and it warns me the night before I'm about to transform. Like that before the sun rise I can find a safe place."

Rin stared at the blue rectangular jewel before nodding.

"But why didn't you tell me?" She asked, a bit sad.

Hikaru bit her lower lip again "…All my life okaa-san stressed the fact that my transformation was to be kept a secret, from everyone….I'm sorry."

She whispered the last part, her stare refusing to leave the grass below her.

Rin put a hand over her own and smiled when she looked up to her.

"You know." She commented "When you're human, we look a lot alike. We could be sister!"

Hikaru blinked, shocked, before giving a tentative smile "I…would like having a sister like you Rin."

Rin squeezed their intertwined hands "And I would love having you as my sister!"

They smiled at each other before they both sneezed.

They looked at each other before laughing.

They dried their clothes and stayed near the river for the rest of the day, AhUn guarding them.

When the sun began to set they walked back to camp, Hikaru's features returning to normal long before they reached the clearing.

Jaken gave them a long lecture, but the two barely listened, making him even angrier.

They just giggled, their hands still intertwined.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

AhUn stopped at the end of a cliff, the heads looking at the heavy damage around.

Scents assaulted Hikaru's nose through the mist enveloping the rocky mountains. A mix of thunder and fire she had never encountered before, along with the scent of cutting winds.

There was also a scent that vaguely reminded her of Sesshomaru, a blend of wind and fire. The particular way the two scents mixed reminded her of the demon lord's own scent.

"Where are we?" Rin asked.

"The spot where a giant demon known as Ryukotsusei was sealed." Jaken informed them "But, to destroy it totally without leaving a trace of it…. Lord Sesshomaru, is this really the work of Inuyasha?"

"But I don't know just how he did it." Sesshomaru answered.

"Hmm." Jaken's eyes narrowed "Imagine that Inuyasha defeating Ryukotsusei. It took everything in your father's power to put Ryukotsusei under seal. And Inuyasha…"

He looked around to see his group leaving.

"Don't leave me lord Sesshomaru!"

Haruki glanced back at the place where the great dragon was sealed. Just how strong this Inuyasha was?

Rin yawned before laying down on AhUn. Finding she was tired too, Haruki cuddled close to her. AhUn softened his stride so as to not throw them off and Ah growled threateningly at Jaken when he continued to talk.

Sesshomaru glanced back. Since when had his dragon been so protective of the two?

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

"Master Jaken!" Rin encouraged while trumping in the water, scaring the fishes to the kappa "Keep at it!"

Hikaru held in a giggle and clapped her hands "You can do it Jaken-sama!"

As she watched the toad flail around, trying to keep up with Rin's hasty instructions, a scent assaulted her nose, irritating.

She sneezed. It was a weird mix of frozen water and something distinctively feline.

Beside her Sesshomaru got up to walk away, toward the strange scent.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Haruki got up and followed.

She carefully followed the lord along the rocky path between the river and a high cliffs, the rocks numerous enough for her to be able to hide efficiently.

She saw the silver haired demon disappear around a sharp turn. She followed and peeked around the corner to see a blue haired woman standing on the frozen water of the river, Sesshomaru facing her. The irritating scent was coming from the female.

"I intend to settle things this time." The woman said with an air of arrogance.

Sesshomaru's voice was as cold as ever "We settled things a long time ago. But if you insist, it won't be like fifty years ago."

The woman smirked "You're still as boorish as ever. However, I agree that it won't be like fifty years ago. Our master is waiting for you."

"Master?"

"Yes, our commander in chief. Your old man is dead and gone, but our master is going to be resurrected, at long last."

"Resurrected for what?"

"To attack the lands in the east once again. And…I guess you could call it revenge. Against you and your kind."

"Then, this time I'll squeeze the breath out of him permanently."

"I'm glad to hear that you're willing to fight."

Sesshomaru put a hand on his sword but the woman raised an arm "Hold it, don't be so hasty. Not here."

She raised an icy wind and the ice on the river broke in several pieces "Come at our castle. You can bring all the help you need."

Sesshomaru stayed stoic in the middle of chunks of flying ice.

Hikaru froze in fear when the woman's eyes glided to her. They looked at each other for a moment, the hanyo incapable of looking away, before the woman smirked and disappeared.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin exclaimed, running to them with AhUn close behind and Jaken panting behind "Hikaru-chan!"

She stepped next to the tall demon lord and showed him the rows of fishes "Look!"

"Jaken." He said, glancing at the panting toad.

"Yes milord?"

"The panther demon tribe has appeared."

"Huh?" The little toad jumped in surprise "Not them again!"

"Rin, Hikaru."

"Yes?" Rin said while Hikaru's ears twitched to attention.

"Stay here with AhUn."

"Yes my lord."

He then began walking away, Jaken following.

"Don't forget to come back for us!" Rin exclaimed, waving them goodbye.

Hikaru glanced at her friend. Even if she hid it better than her, the girl too feared abandonment.

She went to her and took her hands "Don't worry Rin-chan I'm sure they will come back."

Rin turned to her and smiled "Of course. Now, how about we cook those fishes? Since it's just the two of us it will be a feast!"

Hikaru smiled and nodded before the two trotted back to camp, AhUn lazily trailing after them.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Toran opened her eyes when her siblings returned, carrying a struggling, indecently dressed girl with them.

"Let me go!"

"We got it sis." Karan held up a vial containing several shikon shards.

"My sacred jewel shards! Give them back!"

"Who's the girl?" Toran asked.

"It seems she is Inuyasha's wench."

"Inuyasha? The younger son of the dog?"

"Yup!" Shunran exclaimed "He's alive! We were so shocked!"

"She seemed like good bait." Karan explained, looking at the girl "So we brought her along."

"Hey you! Just what do you want with Inuyasha?!"

Shunran smirked "He's gonna die."

"What about you sis?" Karan asked.

"I don't need a bait for him. He's sure to come. However…Shunran?"

"Yes."

"I need you to do something for me."

"What is it?"

Toran smirked "It seems that the great demon lord followed his father's footsteps more than we thought."

"You mean…"

"Yes. Their camp is approximately a few miles to the west. I think that another motivation for the dog could be beneficial for us. And after all we want to annihilate all of the dogs."

"Got it!" Shunran piped "I'll return as soon as I can."

She disappeared and Kagome frowned. What were those people doing?


	6. Chapter 6

_xxx_

Chapter six

_xxxxx_

"Seven, eight, nine…ten! Here I come!"

Rin stopped counting against the tree and whirled around.

Her eyes scanned her surrounding, searching.

She was in a little clearing surrounded by tall pines trees and rough bushes. The grass under her bare feet was sparse but that didn't bother the weathered little girl. The thick branches were only letting a few rays of sun filter through the canopy, highlighting stream of silvery dust in its wake and creating a patchwork of gold and dark brown on the ground.

The atmosphere was quiet and thick, relaxing, with the barest trickling of the nearby stream they had left behind for their game.

Rin ventured into the neighbouring wood and finally spied a big form trying to hide behind thick bushes.

She ran to it and tapped the leathery hide.

"Found you AhUn!"

The two headed dragon straightened, heads poking above the tiny leaves of their hiding place wearing a dejected look, and stepped out of his hiding place.

Rin giggled before turning around "Now we have to find Hikaru. Let's go AhUn."

"I think I found her."

Gasping in surprise, Rin whirled around to see her friend struggling against a long haired demoness holding her tightly. From what the girl could see, the female was distinctively feline and was wearing a short green flowered kimono.

AhUn beside her roared in anger and charged, only for cat demons to appear and restrain the dragon with ropes.

"Release them!" Rin cried out, impulsively running to the woman.

Her efforts were futile however and she was also scooped up.

The demoness smirked "If you wanted to come with us little girl, all you had to do was ask."

Seeing Rin in trouble, Hikaru struggled harder. She managed to bite the woman's hand.

"You filthy half breed!" The demoness smacked her, drawing blood as Hikaru inadvertently bit the inside of her cheek with the force of the blow.

AhUn roared furiously, trashing against his bindings.

"I've had enough." The woman signalled to her men to retreat and sent a wave of petals.

Soon AhUn fell to the ground, unconscious, and the girls in her grip stopped struggling.

Her mission accomplished, Shunran ran back to their hideout. It was almost time.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

"The cats must have invaded this town and chased away its inhabitants." Jaken commented, looking around as they entered the ghost town.

The atmosphere was dark and gloomy, darkened wooden planks poking out to the sky from the rumbles. Charkoal dust littered the ground and the huts still standing showed signs of struggling, a wide range of farming weapons left right and left.

Sesshomaru said nothing, following the disgusting scent of the panther tribe.

Another foreign scent filled his nose, one he recognised as his half-brother and his pack.

He inwardly frowned. What was the half breed doing here? The panther tribe wasn't any of his business.

He also recognised Karan. The fire panther was nearby.

Pinpointing her exact location, he unsheathed Tokijin, startling Jaken out of his usual babble.

He sent a wave of power her way, making a direct path to her. He knew this wouldn't be enough to kill the feline, but one could hope.

Once the power died down he directed his steps to the gathering, Jaken struggling to follow him. Soon he came in sight of the group, locating Karan and her underlings on the roofs of nearby huts and his half-brother's group a bit away, weapons drawn.

"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha recognised.

"Karan." He ignored the hanyo, focusing on the short haired demoness "What's going on? I'm the one you have business with.

Karan smirked "So the big brother appears. I heard congratulations were in order. We thought no willing female would share your bed enough time to conceive."

"What!" Jaken squawked.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Inuyasha exclaimed angrily "The bastard has no mate, much less a child!"

"Oh? He didn't tell you? Not much of a brother is he? His daughter is the sweetest little thing really. White hair like him with adorable puppy ears. If she wasn't a dog I would adopt her myself."

"Puppy ear?" The human woman, probably a demon slayer by her clothes and weapon said.

"That means." The monk eyes widened "Impossible, I thought Sesshomaru hated humans."

Inuyasha said nothing, only staring at his brother with his mouth hanging open.

Outwardly, Sesshomaru only narrowed his eyes, ignoring Jaken's angry shrieks. Inside, he was trying to sort out the wave of emotions that had crashed down onto him.

He was furious. The cats dared implying he had _laid_ with a filthy human. He was the lord of the west. He could choose any demoness anytime if the need arose.

That, and apparently they had kidnapped, also probably harmed, Hikaru. There was also a chance they had captured Rin or worse.

That thought led to a new wave of emotions. He was furious someone had dared even touch those under his protection. But it wasn't all.

Something inside him stilled when he heard Karan describing Hikaru, giving a cold feeling in his stomach when he realised the implications of what the cat had said. He felt angry at himself for letting this happen, but the most disturbing thing was that his beast had roused, snarling and growling, demanding the girls back and for the ones who had done this to pay dearly.

He would retrieve back the girls and kill the filthy cats who had dared to touch them.

**::Ours!::**

With an inward frown he shoved his beast down, barely hearing Karan leave with a few last taunts. The thing had been increasingly restless lately.

He began walking away, his mind set, not sparing a glance to Inuyasha and his companion.

Anyway, the hanyo was too busy trying to assimilate the false fact that he had a hanyo child to notice.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Hikaru was woken up by the scent of grime, fear and humidity assaulting her nose.

She sat up and covered the appendage on reflex as the scents became stronger.

The place she was in was dark and humid, rock surrounding her. The only source of light came through the heavy metal bars from flames hanging from the walls.

"I'm glad you're awake."

She looked up to see a young woman strangely dressed kneeling beside her. Immediately she tensed and scrambled back.

"We aren't going to hurt you." The young woman tried to reassure, without success.

Seeing Rin laying a bit away Hikaru got up and hurried to her to shake her gently.

"Hm?" The little girl sat and rubbed her eyes open "Where are we?"

"We're in the panther demon tribe's hideout." A monk told her "In their prison more exactly."

"How did you end up there?" The strangely dressed woman asked.

"We were playing when cat demoness kidnapped us." Rin explained "They tied down AhUn and knocked us out."

"And who is AhUn?"

"AhUn is AhUn."

The woman abandoned and turned back to her companions.

"One of the cat demons mentioned Sesshomaru having a daughter." The other woman wearing demon slayer clothes said, staring fixedly at Hikaru.

"Could it be her?" The monk mused out loud.

The hanyo frowned "No."

"We never saw any of Sesshomaru-sama's family." Rin said "So we don't know. Perhaps he has a daughter. I hope she's nice."

Suddenly they were surrounded by a blue light. Hikaru heard gasp of fright and turned to see a large mass of human looking at their now blue surrounding with fear. Mothers were hugging tightly their children and men were mumbling prayers.

The light died down and they were outside under a darkened sky. Hikaru felt the wind swept by them, carrying the scent of battle and cats.

"Where are we?" The strangely dressed woman asked.

"Kagome!"

They turned to see a wolf demon colliding with a red barrier. He unfortunately couldn't break it.

The blue haired panther demon laughed "As if you can break our master's supreme barrier."

"You can stay there and watch the sacrificial lambs being devoured."

The great skeleton looming over them moved, stretching a hand to them. The humans gasped and moaned in fright.

The monk gritted his teeth and grabbed the beads surrounding his hand "They're feeding us to him."

Her trust his palm to the monster but nothing happened. The man simply froze and fell on his knee.

"Give me blood…" the skeleton said in an ominous voice. Rin looked at him worriedly, burrowing herself in Hikaru's tight hug.

"Kagome!"

Suddenly the barrier was broken and a white haired man with puppy ears appeared, holding a huge red sword.

He ran to the strangely dressed girl, relief obvious on his face.

"Hikaru look!" Rin tugged at her friend's sleeves before pointing.

The girl followed her finger and saw Sesshomaru standing a bit away, Jaken a little figure at his side.

"We're saved." Rin said, relieved.

She got up and began running to her lord, much to Haruki's horror.

"Rin-chan no!" Too late. The resurrected panther king had already spotted her and lowered his hand to the little girl.

Sesshomaru's eyes widened and he sprinted forward, hoping to get there in time.

Haruki ran to her friend and threw herself over the girl.

Just as the giant hand was about to connect, a thick wall made of ice formed above the two girls. The hand collided with it. It shook, bits of ice falling, but it held.

Sesshomaru was here an instant later, slashing away the hand before the demon could make another assault.

The ice wall dissipated and the two girls straightened, Hikaru panting harshly.

His golden eyes scanned them, taking in the bruises on Rin's arm and the trail of dried blood on Hikaru's chin.

He tensed slightly as he felt his beast trash around, growling and snarling in anger again.

"Go to Jaken and find somewhere safe to hide." He instructed.

"Yes mylord." Rin saluted before taking Haruki's hand and leading her to Jaken.

Satisfied once he saw them leave the area, Sesshomaru turned back in time to dodge Toran's spear.

"Do you think we'll let your pack go that easily?" She taunted.

He replied nothing and sent a wave of power to her using Tokijin.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

"Faster you slowpokes." Jaken urged, looking back at Rin and Hikaru who were struggling to follow him.

"We're going as fast as we can master Jaken." Rin said before throwing a worried look at her obviously exhausted friend "But Hikaru-chan isn't feeling well."

A roar resonated behind them and they turned to see a huge cat demon rising from the walls surrounding the castle.

"I hope Sesshomaru-sama is alright." Rin wondered.

"Of course he is you silly child." Jaken scolded her "He's the lord of the west. It isn't a mere overgrown cat who will stop him."

Another roar made them turn their heads to the opposite direction.

"AhUn!" Rin recognised with delight, tugging an already slumbering Hikaru forward to meet the two headed dragon.

"Take them somewhere safe AhUn." Jaken instructed as Rin helped her friend climb up on the beast.

The heads nodded before taking the sky after Rin had settled comfortably on his saddle, her grip on Haruki firm so that the hanyo child couldn't slip.

Once they were sufficiently away Jaken returned to his lord's side.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Sesshomaru entered the meadow, Jaken at his side.

AhUn was grazing, careful not to move too much as to not wake the white haired little hanyo on its back. Rin was looking up to the sky, humming a little nursery rhyme.

"Rin." He called.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" The girl hoped off her rock and offered him a bright smile.

Seeing her happiness settled something in him that he hadn't been aware of. He turned away "Let's go."

"Yes my lord." Rin hopped after him, AhUn following her and careful of his sleeping passenger.

Sesshomaru glanced briefly at Hikaru. Another mystery to add to her. Hanyos weren't able to use power unless it was through weapon like Inuyasha, yet Hikaru had been able to raise a wall of ice strong enough to withstand the panther king's assault.

Even now that they were under his gaze again, unharmed and alive, he could feel his beast's restlessness. Already he knew that distancing himself from the group would be close to impossible for a time, as the thing had rumbled moodily until his gaze fell on the two girls. Consecutively his beast's restlessness put him on edge.

This was new, and he wasn't sure how to handle it. Perhaps it was time to make a pause. The colder days were coming and he was aware of human's fragility.

Yes, a month or so in a secluded, calm and protected environment should pacify his beast and let him rest a bit.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

"Pretty!" Rin exclaimed, eyeing the little shiro from AhUn's back.

Hikaru silently agreed with her. The residence was nestled against a rock peak, high up in the western mountains. It was made of white stone and dark brown wood, looked well-kept and agreeable to live in.

"It's the prettiest house I ever saw." Rin gushed.

"And this humble abode is nothing compared to the western palace." Jaken boasted "Milord's birth place is wonderment of…"

Hikaru and Rin stopped listening as AhUn landed on the marble court in front of the entrance. They climbed off, curiously observing the greeneries decorating the sides and the large wooden stairs leading to the entrance building, an imposing two story high white rectangle with a cornered dark red roof.

They followed Sesshomaru to a long wooden avenue bordering painted rice paper screen on the right and a little Japanese garden with a patio on the left.

"Chose whatever room you find to your taste." The demon lord instructed "Jaken, report in my study in one hour. Rin, Hikaru, you can go explore."

"Yes mylord." Rin and Jaken said before the little green toad went to the nearest bedroom.

Sesshomaru walked to the screen at the far end of the avenue, one decorated with the painting of a pond under a crescent moon.

The girls explored the different rooms, excluding Jaken's and Sesshomaru's before choosing theirs.

Rin chose a room with a screen representing a sun setting (or rising, they weren't sure) over a meadow. She mainly selected this one because its theme colour was orange. The bed was slightly raised from the floor, a few steps leading to it. The covers and drapes surrounding it were orange and yellow. A big chest made of light wood contained several coloured kisodes, yukatas, kimonos and other clothing articles. A light red vanity contained toiletries, jewelleries and different coloured powders and pastes. There was also a desk with a little empty library, a low table and a screen leading to a little white balcony overlooking the forest covered mountains. But what was the most beautiful was the sceneries painted on the screens and wall, golds, reds, yellows and oranges clashing together with hints of black and green.

Hikaru chose the room just beside Rin's, with a screen's paint representing snow-capped mountains. Her room was similar to her friend's except that the themed colour was blue. It was mixed with shades of white and greys.

They visited each other's bedroom before adventuring. They explored each room, never seeing anyone except a grumbling Jaken when they almost ran into him.

At a moment they entered a huge library and marvelled at the tall mahogany bookshelves. Subdued rays of sun were highlighting the dance of the dust in the quiet atmosphere, creating a calm environment.

Hikaru randomly pulled out a book and flipped through the pages, Rin glancing over her shoulders. She stopped from time to time so they could admire the drawings or paintings.

The furry eared girl sighed "I wish I knew how to read."

Rin nodded thoughtfully "Me too. I know, let's ask Sesshomaru-sama!"

"Really?" Hikaru asked, unsure. While she tried her best to trust the tall demon, she was reluctant to turn to him each time she had a problem like Rin.

Instead of answering Rin grabbed her hand and together they exited the library.

They found two unused rooms, a hot spring and a music room before actually finding the lord's study. When they entered they found him busy reading, Jaken handing him a little pile of scrolls.

"Sesshomaru-sama." Rin asked, coming to stand in front of the low table the demon was sitting in front "Can Hikaru and I learn how to read?"

"Don't you have better things to do than come and bother Sesshomaru-sama with useless wishes?" Jaken scolded.

"Jaken."

The kappa froze "Y-Yes milord?"

"You will teach Rin and Hikaru how to read."

"What!"

"Yeah!" Rin cheered "Thank you lord Sesshomaru!"

She grabbed Hikaru's hand again and they went out, leaving a waterfall crying Jaken and an indifferent daiyokai.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Hikaru wriggled in her covers, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep, without success.

All her life she had lived away from civilisation. She had slept in dens, in caves, or on the ground on summer and autumn nights.

Well she couldn't complain. Her futon was very soft and nice. The covers felt like silk and were warm, but yet…

For a year now she had slept with Rin beside her. After they had joined Sesshomaru's group the two had even gotten accustomed to curl against each other to sleep.

She knew that Rin was in the bedroom beside her and that she wasn't about to disappear, she knew she was ridiculous but…

Her father had left, her mother had left. Now that Rin wasn't under her sight what stopped her from leaving too?

Shivering lightly, Hikaru snuggled deeper in her covers in an attempt to ward off her irrational fears.

Someone slid her door open and the girl shot up to see Rin standing in front of it.

"Can I sleep with you?"

Brown eyes meet blue, conveying a silent message.

Relaxing, Hikaru nodded and moved a bit to let Rin enter her bed.

The two snuggled together, white hair mixing with black.

They were asleep in a matter of seconds.

In the morning, Sesshomaru walked in front of Rin's bedroom and hesitated a bit before sliding the door open.

When he didn't find the little girl sleeping in her bed, he felt a strange tingle run down his spine and walked to Hikaru's bedroom, his strides slightly wider.

He slid the screen and peered inside to find a mess of white and black hair. He heard two soft respirations breathing in unison under the covers.

He observed them for a few minutes before closing the door and walking to the training grounds.


	7. Chapter 7

**A big thank to Kartatsbabe for the lovely. I hope I'll live up to your expectations. =)**

**Please read and enjoy!**

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Chapter seven

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The first two weeks passed in peace, Jaken's shrieks notwithstanding. Sesshomaru found himself actually enjoying these little holidays.

Usually when he came here it was to work on the administrative part of being a lord, and he didn't particularly enjoy passing his day sitting behind his desk reading and filling paperwork. That, adding to living in close quarter with Jaken, it wasn't surprising that he made sure to pass as little time as possible there.

But this time was different. With Jaken busy teaching the girls, the kappa wasn't on his back constantly, leaving him room to breathe. And the little demon seemed to actually enjoy teaching them, which was even better as he wouldn't get tired of it after a while.

And when he wasn't teaching, Rin and Hikaru would often come to pass time in his study (actually, Rin would drag Hikaru in, but he preferred not going into details). They understood his need for quiet and were mostly silent in their games and readings. He found himself actually enjoying their silent calm presence, even if at the beginning Hikaru was nervous. It helped him to better endure the trying hours filling paperwork.

He caught himself several times checking on the girls in the morning or the evening, and found himself a bit less patient when they weren't with him. But he didn't think much of those.

As for Jaken, the kappa also enjoyed this time a bit more than accustomed. He wasn't sure why, but his lord threw less things at his head when he annoyed him with paperwork and was less prone to step on him. The other notifying change was his lessons with the two girls.

At first he had been dreading it. During their time traveling together the girls had annoyed him and even given him ulcers when they pulled stunts like disappearing for a whole day. But he quickly found that he rather enjoyed teaching them.

Before entering in his lord's service Jaken had been a general, directing his army and with other kappa obeying him without question and looking up to him.

So he would be lying if he said he didn't like the admiring look of Rin and the appreciative one of Hikaru when he showed them his knowledges, as well as their readiness to obey when he gave an exercise or their eagerness to learn from him.

Even AhUn loved it when the two would visit his stable, bringing him fruit and staying with him to gossip.

As for Hikaru and Rin, the two weeks so far had been the best of their lives. They would learn something new each day and discovered a ravenous hunger for knowledge after their very first lesson with Jaken. Yes, the kappa tended to gloat too much, but it was undeniable that he was knowledgeable on several subjects. When they weren't exploring or playing they were reading and learning. They even began to learn how to play an instrument together.

They were currently listening to Jaken, sitting comfortably on pillows in front of a low table in a room they had transformed in a classroom ink, brush and papers spread onto the wooden surface in front of them.

"In the time of our lord's sire." The kappa narrated "The western lands were in chaos. Several clans were fighting for power and the three other cardinal lords and ladies were either too preoccupied by other problems or simply didn't care. The earth was a constant battleground, bathed in blood and littered with dead bodies."

He dramatically stopped to make sure the two girls were hanging on his words. Satisfied to see their gazes riveted on him, he continued.

"Lord Sesshomaru's honourable mother, lady Inukimi, was the only remaining descendant of the ancient cardinal lord's lineage and had miraculously survived. However, as strong and fair as she was, she couldn't hope to win back her land alone. This is where that the great Inu no Taisho made his appearance."

The little toad began to slowly walk back and forth in front of them.

"He made a pact with lady Inukimi. He would win back her lands, unite the feuding clans and sit her reign. In exchange she would accept him as her lord and give him an offspring."

He stopped and looked directly at Hikaru and Rin who tensed slightly, totally taken by his story.

"The battle was long and hard. Many times the great lord was injured by treachery and tricks. Many times the lady almost lost her life to her enemies. But they relied on each other, lord Inu no Taisho fiercely protecting the lady while she took care of him. Finally, after a century of battle the lord and lady sat on their throne, their lands finally at peace and the clans bowing to them. For a millenary they ruled fairly and the economy flourished. The western lands became associated with abundance and power…"

Rin clapped her hands "And from their union lord Sesshomaru was born."

"You insolent child let me finish!"

Hikaru hid a little smile beneath the sleeve of her kisode "I think it's time to eat."

"You're right Hikaru-chan let's go!"

The two scrambled away immediately, leaving a fuming Jaken and escaping another boring speech about the greatness of the western kingdom.

They reached their room and freshened a bit before going to the dining room. They never caught any servants walking around or working, but each time they decided to eat delicious food would wait for them. The grounds were always clean and the garden well-tended, and after the first day the girls found toys mysteriously appearing in their room.

They sat next to each other, Rin chatting and Hikaru listening, adding her two cents from time to time.

They began eating but stopped when the door slid open, revealing Sesshomaru.

Since they had come here he had stopped wearing his armour and his usual clothes (and it included his mokomoko). Hikaru liked that, it made him less intimidating.

Tonight he was wearing a gold and apricot orange haori that stopped at his elbows with black hakamas. Rin, seeing him, smiled in greeting, imitated shyly by Hikaru.

"Sesshomaru-sama, good evening! Did you come to eat too?"

The daiyokai said nothing, only sat down at one end of the table and took a little bowl of rice.

He began eating slowly and the girls understood. They returned to their own meal, chatting and eating in intervals. Hikaru was proud that she managed to relax a mere minute after the lord entered the room.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Hikaru slipped into her light blue kimono with a light sense of trepidation.

The colder days were now over and today they would begin travelling again. Jaken had woken them earlier than normal so that they could prepare.

Getting her bag, Hikaru hoped around her room, taking the things she would need. When she was satisfied and sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she took her brush and hair tie to skip to Rin's room.

"Hikaru-chan!" Rin greeted her once she knocked and slid the door open "Come in."

The hanyo girl nodded with a smile and went to put her now bundled bag on her friend's bed.

She helped Rin finish gathering her things in her own bag before the girl sat on her vanity stool. Taking the brush, Hikaru smoothed out her hair before trying them into their usual side ponytail.

They exchanged place and Rin quickly brushed Hikaru's white hair before braiding the front locks.

"There you go." She tied them at the back of her head and stepped back to admire her work "Now let's go before Jaken complains again."

Hikaru giggled softly and nodded. They both grabbed their bags and ran to the front court.

"Don't run in the corridors!" Jaken scolded. He was wearing his usual clothes too, his black hat a bit lopsided.

Beside him Sesshomaru had put back on his white clothes and his armour. Tokijin and Tenseiga were resting at his hips.

AhUn, who was wearing his muzzle and saddle, greeted them with a little roar.

"Good morning AhUn!" Rin exclaimed happily, scratching Ah while Hikaru petted a delighted Un "Good morning Sesshomaru-sama! And good morning too master Jaken."

Hikaru said nothing but looked at them each in time with her friend's greeting, this time not afraid to look up fully to Sesshomaru.

"Let's go." The demon lord said, taking the sky with Jaken barely hanging on his mokomoko.

The two girls were prompt to hop on AhUn and follow him.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Hikaru was sitting on AhUn, looking at the red moon hanging in the black night sky.

Something growled and she looked at Rin who was near Sesshomaru. The girl blinked and looked down at her stomach.

"Rin."

"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama?"

The demon lord looked away from the sky and turned to her "When you're hungry, you must go find your own food."

"Alright! I'm off!"

"I'm going with you." Hikaru said quickly, jumping off her comfortable sit and joining her friend.

Sesshomaru looked at them go. It wasn't the first time he let them go fend for themselves, and he knew they were capable of doing it.

But…

His beast stirred lightly.

"Jaken."

"Y-Yes milord?"

"Go and accompany them."

"B-But my lord!"

He threw a cold gaze at the kappa, daring his servant to protest. The little toad flailed before sighing and defeat and walking away, taking AhUn with him.

He reached them easily enough, and the girls climbed onto AhUn. Soon they were going again, Rin and Hikaru ignoring the kappa's angry rumbling.

"Master Jaken." Rin asked suddenly "How much farther do we have to go?"

"How far?! Until we find food!"

Hikaru and Rin shared a look. Usually when searching for food Rin would go try to find berries while Hikaru went to hunt, sometimes helped by AhUn. But with Jaken, the kappa always wanting to control everything, there was no saying when Rin would eat.

"Master Jaken?" Rin asked after a while, bored "Just how are you of service to lord Sesshomaru?"

Hikaru flinched, ears tilted back in annoyance when the toad demon reacted violently to Rin's question. Apparently it had been the wrong thing to say.

"Listen Rin! Today you and Hikaru shall witness how I serve lord Sesshomaru!"

He jumped on AhUn and clapped the reins.

The dragon took the sky and they began a very long route to Sesshomaru's half-brother.

On the way there Rin decided to take a nap and snuggled to Hikaru who took her in her arms in case she slipped off AhUn. The sun slowly peaked over the horizon and finally Jaken led their steed down in a destroyed village.

Hikaru looked around, her nose taking in the scent of soot and mouldy wood.

Jaken hopped off and searched around a bit. He finally stopped at a corner and hit something with his staff that Hikaru couldn't see.

"Oy! Wake up!"

Something moved and a man with no face appeared.

"Master Jaken?"

"Right, that's me you idiot! Now go and meet me a few miles in the South. I'm need of your service!"

"Yes master Jaken."

The man suddenly disappeared down the earth, digging his way in. Jaken came back to them and hopped on AhUn to direct the dragon to the sky once again.

Rin chose that time to wake up and Hikaru told her what had happened while she was sleeping.

The landed in a bamboo forest and Hikaru could hear people in the distance shooting. Jaken went to investigate after telling them to stay where they were.

Hikaru and Rin looked at him go before sharing a worried glance. Sesshomaru had told Jaken to help them find food, not to go after Tetsusaiga.

The little kappa was soon back with a victorious smirk on his face and hit the earth with his feet.

"Appear No-man!"

The demon dug its way out to stand in front of him "You summoned?"

"No-man, Inuyasha and his group are coming. Get close to them and steal Tetsusaiga. You are a demon born from humans emotions, you should be able to touch the sword. Now go and steal it!"

"Tetsusaiga?"

"Yes! The sword that Inuyasha treasures so much!"

"Is it valuable?"

"Yes, so go and get it."

"Alright."

The girls watched the demon go and looked at each other before shaking their heads in unison.

"Let's go and see if we can find you something to eat Rin-chan." Hikaru said, using her nose to sniff around . Her friend nodded and followed.

They were able to find some berries but they were so few that they knew it wouldn't be enough. Unfortunately they weren't able to find anything else and came back to Jaken and AhUn to find the kappa yelling after the No-man. Apparently he hadn't brought back the sword.

They looked as he went again and Rin stepped out of the bushes, Hikaru behind her.

"Jaken-sama, are you sure that this demon can handle the situation?"

The kappa sighed "How I wish I had my own henchmen. Oh, I remember those days…"

Rin threw a look at Hikaru who sighed and the two girls went back to AhUn, not wanting to hear for the hundredth time how Sesshomaru had saved Jaken's life.

They were playing when they heard the toad demon scream for afar.

"We have to go help him!" Rin exclaimed.

They both climbed on AhUn and urged him off the ground.

They found him just in time to see him fall off a cliff.

"Oh no!" Rin exclaimed, horrified.

Hikaru put a hand on her shoulder "He's a demon. And he survived being Sesshomaru-sama's servant for decades. He's gonna be alright I'm sure of it."

Rin sent her a grateful little smile and sighed in relief when Jaken literally ran up the cliff.

"Does it hurt master Jaken?" Rin asked as she neared AhUn, watching the kappa scramble up the last patch of rocks to the top.

"Of course!" He threw them a glare.

"Then, will you give up?"

"I will not!" Jaken crawled to the flat top and straightened "Move away!"

Hikaru frowned "That's not very nice master Jaken."

"I thought you wanted us to watch you in action?" Rin asked.

"I did not!"

Hikaru huffed, glaring at him while Rin pouted slightly before directing AhUn away.

"Let's go to the nearest river." The hanyo proposed, tying to distract her friend from her sulky musing.

Rin sighed and nodded. After a ten minutes search they found a rather large one and stopped beside it.

Hikaru drank a bit before straightening "I'll go see if I can find something."

Rin nodded "Okay, I'll stay here with AhUn. How about I wash your scales a bit?"

Ah nodded and Un growled his approval.

The girls smiled to each other. The dragon was always eager for a bath and loved to be scrubbed.

Hikaru nodded to them before walking away, trying to find an animal trail to follow.

She searched but found nothing. It seemed today was an unlucky day.

She turned back and met with Rin who was busy cleaning AhUn.

"I'm sorry." She said, hoping onto the dragon's back "I didn't find anything."

"It's okay." Rin smiled "You tried."

She looked down and noticed a little flower floating down with the river's currant.

"I've got an idea, let's go!"

AhUn and Hikaru looked at each other before following the girl up the river.

"What are we searching for exactly Rin-chan?" Hikaru asked after a while.

"I saw a flower floating down the river and if we can find where it comes from then I'll be able to make a bouquet for Sesshomaru-sama."

Hikaru sighed and shook her head with a smile. Rin's grand passion was making bouquet, but each time she would try to offer one to Sesshomaru the demon wouldn't take it. She couldn't blame him, because his image would be a bit broken if he walked around with a bouquet of daisies (the image made her lips twitch), but refusing like that was a bit cold in her opinion. She wondered how Rin never got tired to offering after a while.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts Hikaru jumped down on the ground and went to help her friend, AhUn trailing behind them.

Finally, as the sun began to set, they found a little clearing filled with the pink flowers Rin had seen earlier.

The human girl began to happily gather a few of them and Hikaru laid against AhUn to rest.

"You should also help me make a bouquet for lord Sesshomaru." Rin said suddenly, turning to her and stopping her hopping around.

Hikaru blinked, surprised. She gazed into Rin's eyes for a while before hesitantly getting up.

Taking a few steps, wriggling her hands together, she eyed the flowers surrounding her before bending down and plucking out a purple flower.

"Here." She mumbled, handing it to Rin, ears tilting down I embarrassment.

Her friend smiled largely and took the offered flower to add it in her bouquet.

Hikaru almost ran back to AhUn and snuggled against its side, attempting to hide her blushing face.

Finally Rin finished and they climbed onto AhUn's back to make the way back to camp. Hikaru was a bit reluctant to leave Jaken but Rin told her that he didn't want them and that he would find his way back by himself.

However…

"Err, which way is the way back?"

"You don't know?" Hikaru asked.

Rin shook her head "No, and you?"

Hikaru answered negatively.

"AhUn, can you sense lord Seshomaru?"

The dragon sniffed around before Un shook his head.

Rin sighed "Then we have to go back to master Jaken."

"You know." Hikaru tried "He was just probably frustrated, that's all."

Rin sighed again and the hanyo frowned sadly at her before motioning to AhUn to take the sky and search for the kappa.

Finally they found him dragging something behind him as he walked. As they neared him Hikaru could see a sword tied to a red tissue. Was this Tetsusaiga? Jaken certainly seemed more affable than earlier.

"Jaken-sama!" Rin called.

"Ah, Rin, Hikaru, why are you here?"

"We're lost." Rin said.

"We don't know the way back and AhUn can't sense lord Sesshomaru." Hikaru added.

"Hold it!"

They turned around to see a young woman riding a fire cat speeding to them.

"Rin." Jaken suddenly instructed, throwing the sword to the girl "Take this and go to Sesshomaru-sama."

Rin frowned "But…"

The woman threw her large boomerang and Jaken deflected it with his staff.

"Go, while I hold her off!"

He slapped AhUn's rear with his staff and with a roar of surprise the dragon took the sky and began flying away.

"We can't leave him behind!" Hikaru protested.

Rin looked at her with a hesitant expression. She looked behind her friend to see the kappa surrounded.

Her face hardened with determination and she nodded to Hikaru. Together they directed AhUn back and unclasped the dragon's muzzles.

"Shoot AhUn!" Rin exclaimed when they were near enough.

Obeying, the dragon breathed out thunder, pushing Jaken's opponents away.

"What are doing here?" Jaken protested when they landed beside him "Why did you come back?"

Rin threw away the flowers she had gathered and tilted her body down, extending a hand "Grab on master Jaken!"

The kappa jumped and Rin caught him. AhUn rose once again into the sky.

"Hold on." The girl said, her voice a bit strained.

Suddenly she slipped and Hikaru grabbed her sash just in time.

With effort she hauled the two back onto AhUn and heaved a sigh of relief.

"Rin, Hikaru!" Jaken scolded "Why did you return?"

"We were worried about you." Rin admitted. Behind her Hikaru nodded, ears tilted down.

At this Jaken lost his anger and sighed "Alright, where is Tetsusaiga?"

"Huh?" Rin looked at Hikaru who looked back at her with a lost look.

They looked down and Jaken followed their gaze to see Inuyasha bending down to pick up his sword.

He made a funny expression before fainting.

"Master Jaken?" Rin asked.

"Perhaps he needs a bit of rest." Hikaru said tentatively, poking the unresponsive kappa "Let's try to find some food before going back to Sesshomaru-sama."

Rin nodded before throwing a worried look at Jaken. Hikaru took AhUn's reins and began directing the dragon steed.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

"They look all so delicious. Which one should we choose?"

"Whichever, I don't care!"

Hikaru and Rin smiled at each other, secretly relieved to see that Jaken had recovered so quickly. He was a demon after all, and Sesshomaru's retainer.

Rin kneeled down "Maybe I'll take two, or even three."

Hikaru chuckled "Just make sure AhUn will be able to carry it all back to camp."

Rin giggled before choosing one and taking a bite "This is sweet!"

"Really? Let me taste." Hikaru took a bite too and hummed "It's really good! Don't you want some Jaken-sama?"

The kappa didn't answer.

The girls looked at each other before shrugging. They were about to go pick a few when a violent gust of wind knocked them off. Hikaru lost her footing and fell face first into the dirt.

"Oh! You're…!"

They looked up at Jaken's voice to see Kagura standing in front of them.

The woman looked at them and smirked "Sesshomaru can be so careless, taking his eyes off his wards.

She waved her fan and another gust of rammed into Hikaru and Rin's chest, knocking them unconscious.


	8. Chapter 8

**A big thank to Karkatsbabe for the wonderful reviews.**

**I don't want to dumbly rewrite moments directly out of episodes, so sometimes I will jump from scene to scene. I advise my readers to have some sort of knowledge on what happen on Inuyasha.**

**For those who might find themselves lost, the reference episodes for this chapter are episodes 80 and 81. **

**Please enjoy this eighth chapter and don't hesitate to leave a little review!**

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Chapter eight

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"Sesshomaru-sama!"

The demon lord's gaze turned away from the moon and around to see Jaken running to him, struggling through the tall grass.

Where were Hikaru and Rin?

The kappa came to a stop in front of him and took a second to regain his breathing before blurting out "Rin and Hikaru have been abducted my lord! One of Naraku's incarnations named Kagura appeared and out of the blue-"

"Let me reassure you, Sesshomaru-sama."

Sesshomaru turned his gaze to Naraku as he appeared, surrounded by his insects.

"If you heed my request, I shall return Rin and Hikaru in good health."

"Y-You're Naraku!" Jaken exclaimed.

"Naraku huh?" Sesshomaru blinked "What are you up to?"

His emotionless mask stayed firmly in place, but inside his beast was howling in anger, demanding their enemy's blood.

He would gladly see that it received what it demanded.

"Nothing special." The baboon pelt wearing man assured him "Just kill Inuyasha, that is all."

Sesshomaru huffed, a ghost of a smirk appearing on his lips "All this trouble, just for that?"

In a flash he beheaded the fiend who dissolved in a pile of rock.

"What?" Jaken stuttered, spying a wooden object in the pile "A-A demon puppet?"

Sesshomaru turned around and began to walk away.

"S-Sesshomaru-sama?" Jaken struggled to catch his longer than normal strides "Are we going to rescue Hikaru and Rin?"

The demon lord didn't answer, inwardly warring with himself.

He knew where Naraku was attempting to lead him. The strategy was all too clear for him. He didn't know for what exactly but he supposed it wouldn't be pleasant for him.

And he just couldn't refuse to walk into the trap. He had Rin and Hikaru.

On the other side, his beast was currently trashing against its figurative chains, howling and demanding he find the girls immediately, screw the fiend who was setting a trap for him.

But despite wanting to do exactly that, it could be detrimental to the girls if he didn't comply.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

The first thing Hikaru noticed when she woke up was the horrible scent surrounding her, a sort of acidic, acrid smoke lazily trailing along the floor.

She sneezed and sat up from the wooden floor she was on, rubbing her sore chin. She looked around and noticed Kagura sitting against one of the walls.

Her red eyes met her blue ones "I suggest you stay put. I'm not in the mood to deal with pesky childish antics and if you annoy me I will throw you to the demons outside this building."

Hikaru blinked. Demons? She got up and went to slit the shoji door open and peaked outside to see various lower demons flying or slithering around her prison.

She closed the screen and took a step back to sit again the wall opposite to Kagura.

Silence ensued, the woman lazily fanning herself and Hikaru trying to find how she could escape.

She wasn't in luck today. Apparently the miasma in the air impeded on her sense of smell and she hadn't even noticed the demons outside until Kagura had pointed it out. She couldn't hear anything, not even her captor's breathing, which meant something was also lowering her hearing abilities. Fortunately she still could see, but that didn't help her that much.

Suddenly Kagura tilted her head to the side, as if listening to something. She then got up and walked out, opening the screen door.

"Stay here." She said before smirking amusedly "Well, you can try to escape, but I doubt that you'll be able to make three steps before being devoured. So if you do good luck."

She threw Hikaru a derisive smile beforeexiting the building and closing the door behind her.

The girl blinked. Well, at least her departure would make her escape a bit easier.

She began planning again. She just couldn't barge out without being attacked. She highly doubted she could take down all the demons patrolling outside.

Perhaps she could try to sneak out without them noticing?

She looked around to see wood. At least that could be easily dealt with.

Going to the farthest corner from her jailers, she concentrated and after a few seconds a big ice shard formed under her palms and shot out to the ground, destroying the planks.

Hoping nobody had heard, Hikaru pushed away the shards of woods to reveal a loose ground.

Sighing in relief, Hikaru straightened and concentrated again.

The girl knew it would take almost all her energy, but she couldn't dig as she was now. She had already done it once when escaping particularly clingy ogres. For her sake she had to do it again.

Her pendant glowed and she felt energy surrounding her, enveloping her briefly in an ice blue whirlwind.

When it died down a dog was standing in Hikaru's place. In her demon form she was around four feet tall and with a pure white coat that had a distinct steely blue shine.

Hikaru shook her head, testing her limbs to make sure she could operate efficiently before padding to the hole she had dug thought the ground.

She began digging, going under the panel of the wall. The work fortunately was quickly done and Hikaru thankfully transformed back, panting.

She sat down to regain her breath, but she knew she couldn't stay here much longer. So she gathered her wits and crawled into the hole she had dug, using her claws to do the last centimetres to the surface.

She emerged into free air and her nose scrunched when the same horrible stench assaulted her nose, only this time ten times stronger.

She checked no demons had noticed her. For once luck was on her side and her hole was just behind a little building, out of their sights.

She waited for a snake like demon to slither away before darting, sliding down the steep stone walls to the safety of the forest.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Naraku enveloped himself in his miasma before flying away, fleeing from Inuyasha and Sesshomaru.

The demon lord felt his control that had thinned over the trek to Naraku's castle snap. How dare the filth! He had kidnapped Hikaru and Rin, forced him into this trap like a vulgar dog and now he had the gall to flee like a coward?!

"Fool!" An angry red aura surrounded him "Don't think you can escape from me!"

Naraku chuckled, further infuriating Sesshomaru and his beast "Sesshomaru-sama, instead of transforming and coming after me, you should hurry to your little human companion."

His statement surprised Seshomaru enough to snap him out of his transformation. Rin was in danger?

Even his beast calmed down, still wanting their foe's blood but lying down now that one of the girls was mentioned to be in danger.

"Rin is currently with one named Kohaku. Inuyasha, you should know what that means. As for your other ward…well, who knows where she might be."

And with a last chuckle he disappeared.

Sesshomaru bit back a furious snarl, but knew running after the coward wasn't his priority.

He had to admit, even if he was highly reluctant, that Naraku had become more cunning. If he went to save Rin then searched for Hikaru, it would give him enough time to hide and recover.

It wasn't that worrying for him of course, but he really didn't like playing into his opponent's game.

He flew away, unheeding of Jaken calling for him.

If Rin was in danger, time was the essence.

He just hoped Hikaru could wait a bit, and that she wasn't injured…or worse.

His beast snarled but didn't make any further move, simply urging him to move faster.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Hikaru was tired, very tired.

She had used more power in an hour than during her whole life, and that included when the water dragon had attacked her.

She knew she couldn't continue without resting a bit.

Unfortunately the castle was still in view, but she hoped that she was far enough, and that the ones who had kidnapped her would be too occupied to go search for her.

She saw a tree with sturdy branches covered by thick foliage and climbed as high as she could. Once she was settled comfortably, hidden by the high leaves, she curled up in a foetal position before letting exhaustion claim her.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

When Rin woke up, one of the first thing she saw was Sesshomaru standing a few feet away from her.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" she exclaimed, relieved and happy. Her lord was here now, so everything would be alright.

She then noticed Kohaku sprawled on the ground and the memory of what happened came back.

"Kohaku…" Why had he tried to kill her so suddenly? One moment they were talking, and the other he became suddenly…empty, with his eyes dead, and took her away before trying to kill her.

The boy said nothing, only gout up swiftly retrieved his blade before running away.

"Aren't you going after him?" Inuyasha asked, eyeing his brother warily.

Sesshomaru said nothing, only observed as Kagura picked the boy up and flew away with him.

"Ano…" he heard Inuyasha's miko said "Thank you, for forgiving Kohaku."

"The boy tried to die by my hands."

"Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha was surprised "You knew?"

The demon lord turned to glare at him "I don't want to play into Naraku's treacherous hands, that's all."

He began walking away and Rin was prompt to follow her lord, saying a quick goodbye to Inuyasha and the strangely dressed woman before modelling her steps on the daiyokai.

Rin walked in silence for some time until she asked "Sesshomaru-sama? Did you find Hikaru too?"

The demon lord glanced at her worried and sad expression, an echo of what his beast was feeling.

"We will find her." He said simply.

Rin's face fell at the news that her friend was still alone somewhere and she nodded dully before resuming a silent walk beside her lord.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

A little group was walking down the dirt path leading to what had been Naraku's castle, their backs to it.

Sango sighed as she readjusted her hiraikotsu "No trace of Naraku whatsoever."

Miroku nodded "It's as if he disappeared."

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed "He's just a coward. He was about to lose so he fled!"

At that point Sango noticed Kirara wasn't with them anymore and looked back to see the little feline sitting at the border of the road, looking into the forest at something they couldn't see.

"Kirara?" The woman asked "What is it?"

The twin tailed cat mewled before hopping away. They all followed to see the feline stopping at the base of a sturdy tree before looking up.

Suddenly Kirara transformed and flew up, momentarily half disappearing in the thick foliage before lowering herself to the ground, an unconscious little girl in her mouth.

"That's…!" Sango recognised, going to kneel next to the hanyo girl.

"That's that hanyo girl that is apparently travelling with Sesshomaru and the human child." Miroku completed, walking over to Sango to peer curiously at the child "Is she alright?"

"Yes." Sango answered, finishing her check over "Just unconscious. I don't know when she will wake up though."

"Then let's take her with us."

"What!" Inuyasha exclaimed "Are you crazy! Sesshomaru is probably searching for her!"

"We won't leave a defenceless child alone Inuyasha." Sango warned, glaring at him.

"We'll just keep her until Sesshomaru finds her." Miroku pacified as the woman took the unconscious hanyo in her arms before laying her gently on Kirara's back.

"Kerps!" The hanyo male turned away "Don't come and cry to me if that bastard comes and attacks you."

They then began their trek back to Kaede's village, Hikaru not waking once.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

AhUn crooned worriedly before trying to nuzzle Rin in reassurance. The little girl offered a brief, forced smile before patting their heads and gently pushing them away, her expression once again turning sombre.

Jaken eyed her before sighing. It just wasn't the same without Rin and Hikaru's laughter and gentle babble accompanying them. The depressed aura that clung to their human charge couldn't be healthy for her.

"Come on you child stop sulking." He tried "Sesshomaru-sama will find Hikaru and soon you'll be able to give me grey hair again."

His attempt didn't even make Rin twitch. The girl just sighed.

Sesshomaru threw a glance over his shoulder at her.

He admitted that without the girls' happy presence and laughter, he felt tenser. His inner beast wasn't helping at all, pacing restlessly and howling. No supporting to let Rin wander away from their gaze for even a second.

They had searched around Naraku's castle, trying to find traces of Hikaru. But the remaining miasma obstructed every other smells.

Thankfully he hadn't sensed any blood, which meant Hikaru was unharmed. But he had no idea where she could be.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Hikaru groaned and opened her eyes to see green eyes looking at her.

Shrieking, she shot up, trying to put as much distance between her and the small kitsune sitting beside her futon.

"Ah, you're awake." The child simply said before getting up and padding to the entrance "Everyone! The hanyo girl woke up!"

Hikaru took her chance and shot out of the hut she was in, making a bee line for the forest.

Unfortunately she hadn't made ten steps out when she felt someone grabbing her by her collar to haul her up. Her blue eyes stared up into amber ones and the girl noticed the puppy ears on the top of the boy's white hair before trying to struggle away.

"And where do you think you're going?" Inuyasha asked, frowning.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded as the group caught up with him "Stop frightening her!"

"If I release her she's gonna flee and probably get eaten by an ogre or something." The hanyo protested "And all our efforts are gonna be a waste of time."

"Well you certainly aren't helping us now." Miroku said "You obviously frighten her more than reassure her."

"Repeat that monk?"

"Enough." Kagome said before smiling gently at Hikaru "Hello there. My friends found you unconscious, not far from Naraku's castle. You're the hanyo girl travelling with Sesshomaru no?"

"What your name?" The kitsune asked, climbing onto Kagome's shoulder "Mine's Shippo."

Hikaru refused to answer, eyeing them warily.

"Don't worry we won't hurt you." Sango tried, stepping beside Kagome "We just want to return you to Sesshomaru safely, and letting you go on your own is dangerous."

"How about a deal?" Kagome proposed "You stay with us and as soon as we manage to find Sesshomaru we go to him, okay?"

Hikaru carefully observed the strangely dressed girl. She was weird but she seemed truthful. Of course she was wary of her either way, because a lot of humans and demons alike had appeared 'truthful' and likeable before she discovered they wanted to kill or eat her. But she recognised that travelling alone could be dangerous, and perhaps with them she could find Sesshomaru sooner. After all the demon lord was still after Tetsusaiga no?

So she slowly nodded and felt Inuyasha put her down.

"My name is Kagome." The strangely dressed girl smiled "You already know Shippo, and the little cat is Kirara. This is her mistress Sango and the monk is Miroku. The old priestess is Kaede and the grumpy hanyo is Inuyasha."

"Kerps!"

"And what is your name?" Sango asked gently.

"…Hikaru…"

Kagome smiled "That's a beautiful name. Well, welcome into our group Hikaru-chan."

Hikaru frowned, though nobody noticed it.

She didn't want to be part of this group. She wanted…

She wanted Rin. She wanted Rin and AhUn.

She wanted Rin, AhUn, Jaken and…Sesshomaru.

Bravely she restrained her tears. She had long ago learned that crying never did anything.


	9. Chapter 9

**A big thank to Karkatsbabe for the wonderful reviews. Please enjoy this ninth chapter.**

**It is based on episodes 83 to 86. You don't have to watch them of course, but some might be a bit lost.**

_xxxx_

Chapter nine

_xxxx_

Hikaru was walking a bit away from the group, careful to keep her distance. Kagome and Shippo had tried to make her relax but she just couldn't.

Old reflexes that hadn't acted up for a while now were activated, and she felt as if she was back before meeting Rin, always afraid, always on her guard, never trusting anyone.

Suddenly Kagome stopped, making her whole group stop with her.

"What is it Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked.

"I sense a sacred jewel shard."

A whirlwind appeared behind them and a scent that Hikaru could easily recognise assaulted her nose.

She froze, fear racking her being. It was _him_! What was he doing here?

"Hah!" Inuyasha exclaimed, cracking his knuckles "I thought I smelled something unpleasant. That Koga, coming here to flirt with Kagome again!"

Hikaru despite herself blinked. Flirt?

Inuyasha rushed forward, only for Koga to step on his head.

"Koga!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Yo, Kagome." The wolf demon jumped near her and took her hands in his "How have you been?"

"Ano…" Kagome said, embarrassed.

Inuyasha interposed himself between them, growling.

"Oh, mutt." Koga noticed as if the hanyo was a mere fly "Where's Naraku? Tell me."

"It's not any of your business wolf!"

They began bickering and even if Hikaru was still terrified, she couldn't help but sweatdrop. Was that really the cruel wolf leader whose wolves attacked Rin and she?

Suddenly she felt a presence and turned to look behind her to see a flock of birds fleeing the site.

A slight acrid smell made its way to her nose.

"Koga! There's something weird coming from Naraku's castle!"

Hikaru stilled, seeing the wolves and the two other wolf demons running to them. She took a few steps closer to Sango and Miroku, earning a curious glance from Shippo who was on the monk's shoulder.

A huge mass of hair appeared, towering above the tree tops.

"Wh-What is this?" Sango asked, unconsciously grabbing her hiraikotsu.

"Another incarnation of Naraku?" Miroku asked, eyeing the thing with narrowed eyes.

"It's a hair demon!" Shippo exclaimed.

"That's what was in the castle?" Koga asked.

"No mistake about it!" Answered one of his sidekicks "Ayame saw it!"

"Ayame? She was with you? Where is she?"

"I don't know! We got separated while running!"

The mass of hair moved, revealing an ugly mouth.

"Shikon jewel shaaaaaards." It said in a gravelled voice.

"Kagome stay back!" Inuyasha warned "This pile of hair is after you!"

The hanyo then jumped and grabbed a piece of hair before flinging the demon away, making it dangle from the cliff.

"Answer me!" He threatened "Where is Naraku?"

Instead of answering the demon shot hair toward Kagome. Fortunately Koga managed to grab her before she could be hit.

"Mutt!" The wolf demon said "You can take care of this demon. I'll take Kagome to a safe place."

"Hey!" Inuyasha raged, glaring at Koga as he carried Kagome away.

Suddenly the piece of hair he held felt loose and he stumbled back. The demon fell down the cliff, leaving strands in Inuyasha's hand.

"It fell?" Miroku asked as he, Sango and Shippo joined Inuyasha, Hikaru trailing carefully behind them, still eyeing the wolves nervously.

"Damn!" Inuyasha cursed.

"It wasn't too strong for a demon created by Naraku." Sango commented.

"No." Inuyasha relied "It went away on purpose. Its goal is the sacred jewel shard. Let's go!"

He jumped off the cliff and Kirara transformed in a whirlwind of fire.

"Come on Hikaru-chan." Sango said, grabbing the hanyo child and putting her in front of her on the fire cat.

Hikaru tensed but forced herself to not lash out.

They followed Inuyasha through the woods and soon came into a clear path littered with black hair that attacked the hanyo when he came too close.

"The hair is attacking!" Shippo exclaimed, his tail bristling.

Sango and Miroku jumped off Kirara, ready for battle. Hikaru chose to stay on the fire cat.

"To stall us?" Sango asked.

Miroku nodded "It doesn't want to let us pass."

The strands attacked again and everyone dodged, easily deflecting them.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku exclaimed "Go to Kagome!"

"Alright!" The hanyo deflected a few more strands before jumping away.

"Hikaru-chan, stay on Kirara." Sango instructed.

The hanyo nodded mutely and stayed put. Soon enough the two adults were done and they were able to go after Inuayasha.

"Kagome!" They exclaimed, relieved, when they saw the woman.

"Are you alright?" Sango asked as they climbed off Kirara before noticing the newcomer "Who is that girl?"

Hikaru turned to see a red haired demoness wearing a white pelt.

"She's Ayame." Kagome provided "Koga's fiancée."

"Fiancée?"

Hikaru's ears twitched and she looked at the woman again. Koga was saying he loved Kagome and yet he already had a fiancée. Wolf demons were _weird_. This whole love business seemed rather complicated.

Inuyasha and Koga, who had been trapped by the demon's hair, freed themselves. Koga also freed Ayame and threw her to the group.

"I guess it can't be helped, I'll protect you too."

Hikaru frowned. Jeez, if that was what it entailed to have a wolf demon mate (or mate to be, same thing), she would never have one!

But then again, who would want to mate her anyway.

She shrugged. Well at least she had Rin with her now, even if they were currently separated.

Koga punched the demon, splitting its…head? in two before asking questions.

Hikaru's ears pricked to attention as the hair demon explained. This Naraku was in a place no one could reach?

Then it proceeded to bite Koga's arm. Ayame intervened but they got all gobbled up.

"Koga-kun!" Kagome exclaimed worriedly "Ayame-chan!"

Fortunately Koga blew it from the inside, saving Ayame and him.

He picked up a piece of the demon and threw it at his sidekicks to make the wolves sniff it.

After a lot of bickering between Inuyasha, Koga and Ayame, he was off.

Hikaru raised an eyebrow. Love _really _seemed complicated.

She largely preferred staying with Rin and her group.

"Inuyasha." Miroku said while the hanyo was glowering at the retreating lupines "I think Koga's idea about using his wolves makes sense."

Hikaru sweatdropped. Was the man that simple? If Naraku was somewhere no one could reach, wouldn't leaving a clear scent trail too easy?

"It's too simple." Inuyasha replied "If the scent was the problem, why did Naraku leave his trash? The source of his scent, isn't that too careless? In other words, Naraku is confident that he'll never be located."

"That makes sense." Miroku nodded "And? Where do you think Naraku went?"

Inuyasha made a funny face "You figure out the rest yourself Miroku."

Hikaru sweatdropped again. The hanyo had no idea at all. Was he really the leader of this group?

Later that night she let the group of shard hunters discuss between themselves, sitting a bit away and listening in a distracted manner.

She missed everyone. It was hard to relax at night without the warm body of Rin close to her, without AhUn to sleep against.

It was boring without her and Jaken.

And she didn't feel secure without Sesshomaru watching over them as they played and slept.

She stubbornly refused to let her tears fall.

"Don't worry." Shippo said gently, sitting next to her "I'm sure Sesshomaru will come and get you."

"Kerps! For all we know Sesshomaru might have abandoned her! She's a hanyo after all."

"Inuyasha! How can you say that! Sit!"

As the male kissed the ground, Hikaru turned away from everyone and hugged her knees tighter against herself. She refused to let the others see her tears.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Kaede was busy tending to her fire when the flap over the door was pushed away, revealing Sesshomaru.

"Who are you?" Kaede asked, jumping up and taking her bow.

The demon's gaze swept over the hut, taking in Hikaru's scent faintly hanging in there before looking back to Kaede.

"Where is Hikaru?"

The old woman blinked "Are you…lord Sesshomaru?"

"Hn."

Taking that for a yes, Kaede answered "Inuyasha and his group took the girl with them in hope to stumble upon you during their travels. When I saw them off they were heading North."

Sesshomaru said nothing, only stepped back out and walked out of the village, soon disappearing within the darkness of the night.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Hikaru's ears tilted back when she felt the demonic aura spreading over them in an ominous cloud.

"The demonic aura's been getting stronger and stronger." Sango noted, her eyes narrowing.

"A demon uh?" Inuyasha cracked is knuckles before running off.

"Wait Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed.

They began running after him and Hikaru frowned. What kind of leader could run ahead, leaving his group in the middle of a demonic aura? She shook her head. Sesshomaru would never have done that. He only left them like that when they were resting at the camp or when they were searching for food.

They finally caught up to the hanyo to see him glowering menacingly at an old woman.

Miroku went to retrain him and Hikaru had to hide her smile behind her sleeves when the old woman told the monk to hold him before throwing some kind of dust at him.

Once everyone was calm they went to sit under a tree and the old woman explained why she was here.

"Demons are increasing?" Miroku repeated.

"That explains the demonic aura in the area." Sango noted.

The old woman blinked "Demonic aura?"

"We journey around the countryside slaying demons." Sango explained.

"So we're in the same business. Anyway, due to this sudden increase of demons, I had to come out of retirement."

"Just an old woman's whim." Inuyasha snorted "Better you stay retired."

The woman threateningly neared her hand to her dust pot "Shall I teach you a lesson again dog?"

Inuyasha hid behind Kagome and Hiakru puffed discreetly behind her sleeves.

"Ma, ma, madam exorcist." Miroku pacified "Don't you know the reason behind the increase of demon?"

"Probably the curse."

"Curse?" Sango asked.

The old woman nodded "Of the demon's head castle."

"Demon's head castle?" Kagome repeated.

"It probably has a proper name." The old woman explained "But everyone calls it the demon's head castle. It's said that the head of a demon vanquished by an ancestor was buried to ward off evil spirits and the castle was built over it."

"Who would believe this story anyway." Inuyasha snorted.

The old woman put a hand on her dust pot again, effectively shutting him.

"But." She continued "For some strange reason, lately the demon has been revived, tormenting people. And no amount of exorcism has worked. Now then, follow me."

She got up and walked away.

"Where to?" Inuyasha asked.

"To the demon's head castle of course." The old woman answered "Didn't you say you travel around slaying demons?"

"What do we do?" Kagome asked.

"We have no time for this!" Inuyasha protested.

"But since we know the story." Miroku said.

"Finding Naraku is top priority." Inuyasha cut him.

Hikaru frowned. Could she really stay with someone who so obviously didn't want anything to do with Sesshomaru, much less give her back?

"I understand the reward is great!" The old woman called from afar.

In an instant Miroku was walking by the old woman's side, speaking about how to split the reward.

Hikaru sweatdropped as they were forced to follow. Inuyasha sure didn't have a very firm grip on his group as leader.

They entered the castle and Hikaru could feel her heart thundering in her ears as more and more people entered her line of vision, eyeing the group curiously. There were too much humans, too much people in general. She could feel their gaze on her and tensed, barely resisting the urge to flee. Add to that the sickening feeling of demonic aura hovering around the place and Hikaru was definitively feeling ill.

She sat with the other as the lord's retainer explained to them what was happening. She couldn't make sense of the words, so tense she was.

Then men passed to their right, carrying a corpse with them. The scent of dried blood made Hikaru grimace. What was this place!

They were told to stay here in a secluded court until night and Hikaru chose a corner behind the stairs. Like that no one would notice her and stare at her, and she also felt marginally better to be somewhat protected. More than ever she wished to be with her own group. Only there had she ever felt truly safe.

The group talked until nightfall, the old woman narrating stories of her 'heroic deeds', but Hikaru wasn't interested. Shippo tried to get her out of her hiding place to play, not to avail.

Finally, shortly after nightfall, Hikaru ears twitched as she heard soft footsteps on the wooden gallery above her.

"Are you the ones who've come to exterminate the demon?" A soft voice asked "Please, be safe and rescue my father without fail."

"You are the princess of this castle?" Kagome asked.

Hikaru peaked out of her hiding place, craning her neck to see a beautiful human woman wrapped in several layers of colorful silk.

"Many priests and priestesses have failed at exorcising the demon." The hime warned "And died.

"Rest assured princess." Miroku said, teleporting to the woman's feet "I shall stand firm and conduct the exorcism no matter how many days it takes."

Suddenly people began shouting that the demon head had appeared and everyone ran to the source. Hikaru followed, glancing briefly behind at the hime. She didn't like the woman. She couldn't smell any scent on her. It could because of the demonic aura surrounding the shiro, but she didn't like the look the princess had in her eyes.

She had met enough people, humans and demons alike, to recognize the gazes that could only bring troubles.

They finally reached the demon head and Sango attacked first. Her hiraikotsu went right through the head.

Inuyasha went after her but even if his wind scar hit the demon, the head reformed right after.

Finally Miroku threw sutras and vanquished the yokai.

The castle people rejoiced and they were invited to a feast. While eating, Miroku explained to the lord's retainer that the head was simply an illusion.

Suspecting the lord was a demon, Inuyasha and Miroku followed the old man out to go meet the maser of the place.

"Hikaru-chan?" Kagome asked gently, seeing the little girl sitting besides her not eating "Aren't you hungry?"

The hanyo shook her head, feeling way to tense and anxious to be hungry.

"I can understand." Shippo said, finishing his bowl of rice "With this demonic aura surrounding us, even I am not that hungry."

He then proceeded to eat his dangos.

"I can help you with that." The old woman said "Line up."

Curious, Hikaru complied, only to receive dust.

"So?" The grandma asked "Did it work?"

"No sorry." Sango coughed and Kagome began dusting off her clothes.

"Did it work on you Kirara?" Shippo asked.

The little cat tried to keep the dust off her eyes and mewled, shaking her head.

Hikaru coughed several times before trying to carefully dislodge the dust on her ears.

"Really?" The old woman said, looking at her dust pot "That's strange. This is a very special purification salt. Most demons succumb to this."

"What a fake exorcist." Inuyasha scoffed, walking in the room with Miroku behind him "As if it'd work."

"What did you say?" The old woman exclaimed "Then I shall test it on you!"

She began throwing her 'salt' around, Inuyasha dodging it with a smirk and a taunt.

Kagome sighed "Inuyasha sit!"

The hanyo crashed onto the ground, grabbing the old woman in passing.

"Stop it you two." The young woman scolded.

The hime's servant came to collect Miroku, and Hikaru was on the verge of falling asleep when a scream resonated.

They all rushed to see the lord of the castle transforming into an oni, his pale skin reddening and horns protruding on his forehead.

But something was off.

Where was Miroku by the way?

Frowning, Hikaru ran back to the room they had occupied and tracked the monk's scent to the demon head's burial site.

Climbing down the stairs, she froze when she saw a blue skinned oni vaguely resembling the hime kneeling next to Miroku who appeared frozen.

The oni turned suddenly to her and she felt herself incapable of moving.

"How nice of you." The oni taunted "A little snack for me."

It rushed to her, mouth wide open. Miroku's eyes widened in fear.

Just as the demon was about to reach her, Hikaru's pendant glowed and the oni was thrown back violently, crashing into the position.

"Miroku!" Someone called.

Hikaru turned to find Sango, followed by the old woman, running to them with a transformed Kirara.

Suddenly both woman and cat froze.

Hikaru's eyes widened. Why couldn't they move? She herself could, so why couldn't they?

The oni emerged from the rumbles of her crash, glaring and growling.

"You filthy hanyo!" It raged "I will kill you slowly and painfully!"

It rushed to her again but this time Hikaru was ready. She pointed her palm to the oni's feet and the demon suddenly found it couldn't move.

"What!" It looked down to see its feet encased with ice.

The old woman suddenly rushed to it and threw a bit of her salt "Evil demon be gone!"

"Madam Exorcist!" Miroku yelled, the monk being only a foot away from the immobilized demon "Throw all your salt please!"

The old woman complied and as soon as they were enveloped in a cloud of salt Miroku concentrated and merged his purification power in it.

The body disintegrated, leaving only a head.

"Why you…!" It raged "You put your spiritual power into the purification salt!

Then the head disappeared and Sango and Kirara were finally able to move. The woman immediately ran to Miroku to check on him.

Hikaru fell to the ground, panting. She felt a wet nose pushing against her cheek and opened her eyes to see Kirara nuzzling her.

Smiling a bit she patted the feline, earning a purr.

"Hikaru-chan!" Sango went to kneel near her "Are you alright?"

"Just tired." Hikaru reassured her as best as she could. She was still wary but she had to be honest. Apart from Inuyasha's insults, they had been good to her so far.

"We need to find the rest of the group." Miroku said.

Sango nodded "Let's go. Hikaru-chan, climb onto Kirara."

The hanyo girl nodded and Kirara lowered herself to the ground to let her get on.

They ran up back to the castle, following the sounds of commotion. Along the way Miroku explained what the demon head had told him.

"So the demon took the princess's appearance and devoured the monks and priestesses who came to exorcise the castle?" Sango resumed.

"She said I was the hundredth one." Miroku added.

"I wonder." The old woman said "Why didn't the demon come after you instead of me?"

Hikaru sweatdropped. Really? She was wondering why? While her inaptitude at sensing demonic aura was remarkable since she didn't seem to be affected by it, it was clear as water she had no spiritual power.

"That demon devours spiritual powers." Miroku said "Once it devoured the power of one hundred, it was going to be completely reborn."

"I see." The old woman nodded "It means that I was number 101. Otherwise there's no way it wouldn't have come after someone with my powers…Are you listening!"

She ran after them once she noticed they had gone on ahead, not listening to her. They reached the lord's room just in time to see the body disintegrate into nothing, leaving only the clothes.

They hurried and found Inuyasha about to attack the head.

"Stop." Miroku urged his friend.

"What do you want Miroku?" The hanyo asked "Don't interfere."

The monk turned to the head "Before you're destroyed, I must ask you something. Why didn't you make an appearance sooner? You had me overpowered. A demon with a powerful demonic aura like that, you could have appeared anytime you wanted."

The head chuckled "Until now, I had to be extremely careful about coming out. Because I knew that there was a demon with a more powerful demonic aura that could take control of me."

"A stronger demonic aura?" Miroku asked.

"Yes, the mass of demonic aura controlled by Naraku. However, Naraku isn't in this region anymore so there's no need to hide myself in this castle anymore! Now I can have my fill of monks and priestesses!"

The head suddenly shot up, breaking through the roof.

"I won't let you!" Inuyasha swung his sword "Wind scar!"

The attack shot up to the head, but when the winds died down it resurfaced unharmed.

"You can't do anything!" It taunted "Soon I will restore my body and wreak havoc in these lands again!"

Miroku chose that time to unwrap the beads around his hands.

"Wind tunnel!"

A black hole appeared in his hands and absorbed the struggling demon in.

With a sigh Miroku closed his hand and re-wrapped his beads around "It's all over."

"Damn, what a nuisance." Inuyasha sighed an sheathed his sword.

"Look!" Shippo pointed upward "The sky had become normal again."

"The demon has been vanquished." Miroku explained "And the demonic aura over the castle has disappeared.

Hikaru sighed in relief. She was tired and wanted to sleep, even knowing she wouldn't get a wink of it. Even if the demonic aura was gone she still wasn't comfortable surrounded by so many people.

They were given a room for the night and Kagome and Sango gratefully got to bed, Shippo snuggling into Kagome's arms.

Hikaru looked at them. She could barely remember her own mother holding her in her arms anymore.

Stubbornly blinking back tears Hikaru stepped outside and sat on a rock in the nearest garden, looking up at the moon.

She really hoped her group would find her, and quickly.

"Can't find any sleep?"

Startled, Hikaru turned to see Miroku walking to her. The man smiled gently and sat next to her.

"I wanted to thank you for your help." He said "Without you I would probably have been eaten."

Hikaru shrugged. She was uncomfortable but not ungrateful. They had helped and taken her in, it would be bad not to try and help them in return.

The man's gaze lowered on her necklace "I was surprised you had such an artefact with you. Ice jewels are rare. Where did you find it?"

Hikaru's ears tilted backward and she refused to answer. Miroku waited a bit before admitting defeat and retreated with a smile and a good evening.

Hikaru watched him go before taking her pendant in her hand. She watched as the moon rays reflected on the stone, creating little rainbows on it.

'_Father…'_


	10. Chapter 10

**A big thank to Karkatsbabe and TemariFire for their wonderful reviews.**

**For TemariFire, yes I used an OC in this story because I thought it would be interesting to have a more 'outside' point of view. That, and I can't seem to write story only about canon character. When I try I always feel I make them out of character and end up erasing everything. Writing about an OC is easier and it's easier to keep the other in character.**

**I guess I'll never write a story with just the canon character. Doesn't bother me that much to tell the truth, it's just my writing style.**

**Enough about this, please enjoy this tenth chapter! Don't hesitate to leave a little review. This chapter is based on episodes 88 and 91.**

_xxx_

Chapter ten

_xxx_

Hikaru looked down from her perch in the thick oak tree the group had decided to rest under. Miroku was napping with Kirara in the shade provided by the trunk and foliage while Sango was polishing her boomerang. The time was sunny, the rays of sun warming the air to a nice degree inviting to laziness, with a fresh little breeze passing from time to time.

All in one, a perfect day to relax.

They were 'searching for clues about Naraku', while Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippo helped the villagers back there.

Frankly, even if Hikaru was bored, she preferred being bored here than back there. People in the village were obviously crazy.

They had barely entered the village when the men had run to them and bowed in front of Inuyasha, calling him a dog god. Then they had proceeded to direct them to the headman's house where they made offerings and asked them to help.

That wouldn't be a problem if they hadn't seen her, but they had and they had begun calling her the god's child, triggering Inuyasha's temper and Hikaru's bad mood.

There was no way she would ever be Inuyasha's child! She already had a father.

"Hikaru-chan!" She looked down to see Sango up with Miroku, Kirara stretching before resuming her littlest form "We're returning to the village."

The hanyo girl scowled a bit at the idea of returning but having little choice on the matter, she climbed down from her perch and began walking behind them.

The sun was setting when they reached the village to find Inuyasha flat on the ground, his right hand glued to a huge round rock.

"Inuyasha?" Miroku asked once they got to their level "What happened?"

An ear twitched and his muffled voice answered "Tomorrow you'll help us look for the rock."

Hikaru's ears twitched. A rock?

"I'll explain." Kagome said, three little monkeys and Shippo latching onto her like she was a tree.

Hikaru held back a sigh. With this group it seemed problems always found them.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Hikaru sighed. Finally this whole stupid thing was over. Kagome had found the stone. Miroku was talking with the villagers about building a new shrine for the monkey god and Inuyasha was freed from his rock. The group was getting ready to move on, hopefully nearer to Sesshomaru's position.

"Shrewd young girl." The monkey god said "You did well to find me. I thank you."

"Oh no, your dream messages were so clear." Kagome replied humbly.

Inuyasha turned to glare at the three monkeys "You three were just too stupid."

"What did you say?!"

"You thought it was underground too!"

"I wanted to get out as soon as possible." The monkey god continued, unheeding of the four "I was concerned about the strange occurrence outside."

"Strange occurrence?" Kagome repeated questioningly.

"Shortly after I was placed in the pickling tub." The god explained "I felt an awful evil aura, the likes of which I had never felt, pass over the skies above the village."

"Monkey god, what was it?" Sango asked.

"I don't know what it was, but I felt its presence while I was in the pickling tub."

"Where did it go?" Inuyasha asked impatiently.

"It disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Sango repeated, bewildered.

The monkey god nodded "It didn't just pass over completely, it suddenly disappeared."

"Inuyasha." Kagome said, turning to the hanyo.

"Yes, there's no mistake." The white haired male nodded "It's Naraku."

"The miasma headed in the direction of the ox an tiger." The monkey god provided.

"Ox and tiger?" Kagome repeated "That's northeast no?"

"I can't pinpoint exactly where it disappeared." The god said.

"Shall we go?" Miroku, who had just arrived, asked.

"Yeah." Inuyasha said "We know which way to go now."

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Hikaru sighed, following after Inuyasha and his group as they returned to Kaede's village, vaguely registering she had been sighing a lot lately.

Apparently Kagome had an important 'exam' to study for, whatever an exam was.

Finally the village appeared and Kaede, who had been gathering herbs, straightened to greet them.

"Hello Kaede-san!" Kagome smiled.

"Hello child. I hope your travel was fruitful."

"We finally have a lead!" Inuyasha exclaimed before throwing a sour look at Kagome "Then miss princess had to go back for her 'exam'."

"Inuyasha, sit."

Ignoring the hanyo kissing the ground, Kaede turned to the somber looking Hikaru.

"Didn't you find lord Sesshomaru during your travels?"

"Unfortunately no." Sango shook her head.

"Well, he was in my hut a week ago, asking about Hikaru's whereabouts."

Hikaru's ears perked up and she looked up hopefully to the old miko "Really? He was looking for me?"

"Of course child. And I have no doubt that he will find you eventually."

At this Hikaru felt marginally better. Yes, Sesshomaru hadn't come for her, but at least now she knew he was looking.

He hadn't forgotten her.

"Kerps! What's so special about this girl anyways?"

"Inuyasha sit!"

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Hikaru's ears twitched nervously.

If the group kept spending time in villages, she was going to go crazy with nerves.

She hated villages. People kept staring at her like she was some sort of monster. She could feel their fear and hostility weighing on her. In villages the scent of grime, death and sickness was ever present in the air.

She was going to die from the pressure or something similar if she stayed here.

Straightening, she walked out.

"Hikaru-chan?" Kagome asked "Where are you going?"

She didn't answer and once she was outside she ran to the nearby forest.

"Why did she go?" Sango asked.

"Kerps, you couldn't understand."

"What do you mean Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.

"You're human, so here you're at ease, but for hanyos, it's different. People look at us warily, as if we could attack them at any time. The girl probably didn't have very good memories of humans too. So, it doesn't surprise me she's that jumpy and stressed after so much time passed in villages full of humans. I'm actually surprised she lasted this long."

Miroku frowned "I had no idea it was that difficult. Is it the same for you Inuyasha?"

The hanyo scoffed "I ain't no weakling. I could wipe this village off if I wanted so I don't feel threatened."

"But Hikaru-chan is young." Sango deducted "And she has little means to defend herself."

Kagome sighed and looked outside, to the forest in which the little girl had disappeared. She hoped Hikaru would be alright on her own.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Hikaru breathed in and exhaled in relief as she sat down on the grass near the riverbank, taking in the scent of fresh leaves and humid earth surrounding her. A soft breeze played with her hair and the girl relaxed, listening to the birds and wildlife surrounding her.

This was so much better than a human village!

She heard something move behind her and the scent of a cat assaulted her nose.

Ears twitching to locate the source of the sounds more accurately, Hikaru got up and tracked the feline scent to a large rocky clearing next to the base of a cliff.

She saw the twin tailed cat walk to a little cavern and out of curiosity followed her inside.

She peaked around a rock and gasped.

"Kittens!" She whispered.

Kuroro shot up and growled angrily. Hikaru raised her hands to show she was unharmed.

"I'm sorry." She said "I didn't mean to startle you. Are they yours?"

She pointed to the little bundles of fur glued to her side. Kuroro looked at her for a moment before mewling sitting back into a more comfortable and less tense position.

The kittens by then had noticed her presence and were wobbling to her curiously. Hikaru smiled and presented her hand. They sniffed before playing with her fingers.

Hikaru giggled a bit before playing with them. After a while two of the three kittens wobbled back to their mother, but the last one decided to climb onto her laps and promptly fell asleep.

Hikaru blinked and looked at Kuroro who looked back at her for a moment before mewling contentedly, giving the girl a feline smile.

Hikaru's ears twitched in curiosity but since she had no way to question the cat and understand her answer she stayed silent and relaxed, petting the little bundle of pale fur in her laps.

She was nodding off when suddenly Kuroro's head shot up, the feline listening to something Hikaru couldn't.

Kuroro got up and shot off, leaving her litter with Hikaru. The two kittens that had been with her curled together and went back to sleep, not that much bothered. The one in Hikaru's laps peered at its mother curiously before deciding it wasn't worth leaving its comfy bed.

They waited like that for a while until Hikaru could hear someone walking into the cave. She tensed but relaxed slightly when she recognized Shippo with a human girl.

"Ah!" The girl exclaimed, seeing the kittens curled up on the floor "Kuroro's kitten!"

"Hey Hikaru-chan." Shippo greeted, going to sit beside her while the girl went to the kittens and noticing the one in her laps "Oh, did you bound with this kit?"

He looked excited at the prospect but Hikaru was totally lost "Bound?"

Shippo nodded "Demon animals like Kirara and Kuroro are rare, and they have a particularity. When they are birthed, after they had their first meal from their mother, their auras search for someone worthy of being their masters."

Hikaru blinked "Really?"

"Yes. Once they find one, they bind their aura to him or her. The bound created permit them to develop powers later."

"Like Kirara?"

Shippo nodded "The power they develop depends on the master they are bound to. They are very loyal. This little one's yours now."

"Really?" Hikaru looked back at Kuroro who nodded.

"You're lucky!" Shippo pouted slightly.

The little girl laughed and even Hikaru had to smile a bit at the childishness.

"We should get back to the village." The little girl said, gathering the two kittens in her arms.

Hikaru sighed but got up too. She knew that at one point she would have to go back but it was still hard. She highly preferred the forest to the humans packed villages.

Suddenly Kuroro hissed.

"What is it?" Shippo asked.

The twin tailed cat shot out of the cavern. The human girl tried to follow but Shippo blocked her.

"Don't go outside Koume, it's too dangerous!"

"But, Kuroro…"

"Let Kuroro take care of the outside. We need to protect her kittens."

They heard a crash and Shippo turned to them "Koume-chan, Hikaru-chan, stay here."

"Be careful Shippo." Hikaru warned, hugging tightly the kitten in her arms "I sense a demonic presence outside."

The kitsune nodded before walking out.

'Do you think they're alright?" Koume asked Hikaru worriedly.

"I'm sure they are." Hikaru herself was afraid, but it was no reason not to try to reassure the frightened little girl "Kuroro is strong and Shippo is very resourceful."

They heard another crash and Shippo darted back into the cave.

"Careful!" He exclaimed, throwing himself over Koume and pushing her to the ground.

The cave began to shake and Hikaru threw herself to the ground too, hugging protectively the kitten against her chest.

Rocks fell around them and they were all relieved when the fell in stopped.

"Is everyone alright?" Shippo asked, straightening and helping Koume up.

"Yes." Hikaru grumbled, getting up and coughing a bit as she inhaled dust.

"I am too." Koume said "But the exit…"

"Don't worry about that." Shippo smiled reassuringly "I'll get us out of here."

He found the direction of the exit and began to dig out a new one. Hikaru put down the kit in her arms and went to help him.

After a lot of digging, hurt palms and a very embarrassing situation where Hikaru was careful to look elsewhere as Koume bandaged Shippo's finger, Koume was beginning to breathe with difficulty.

"It's becoming…difficult to breath." She said, sitting down.

Seeing her condition, Hikaru decided to up the power.

"Move aside Shippo." She said.

The kitsune complied and Hikaru concentrated.

She pointed her palm to the rocks blocking the exit and a bluish white beam shot out, carving through the rest of the way.

"We did it!" Shippo rejoiced.

Hikaru smiled before crawling out, the kit trailing after her.

She froze when she saw the towering rat demon in front of her. The kit, who had squeezed its way to her shoulder, hissed.

"A hanyo?" The demon glared at her "Move aside you half breed. I know there's a human little girl in there. Move over so I can eat her!"

"I will protect Koume-chan!" Shippo yelled suddenly, appearing beside Hikaru before launching at the huge rat.

He gave a jolly good try, evading the first blow. Unfortunately he wasn't as lucky when the rat swung his tail at him.

Just a second before it hit Inuyasha sliced it away with his sword.

"Eating human children, that's sickening." The hanyo spat.

"Why you!" The demon raged "Have you forgotten I can't be harmed?"

"He's a fake." Shippo warned as the slashed tail re-grew "He doesn't have the wound Kuroro inflicted."

"Then it's a fake." Miroku said.

He got out a sutra to detect the real demon, but before he could throw it a wave of blue energy appeared from their right, mauling the ground to an innocent looking rock at the base of the cliff.

The rock morphed into the rat demon and with an agonizing cry he died, his illusion with him.

A scent of ice and poison hit Hikaru's nose and she gasped, her ears pricking up and a smile making its way to her face.

Sesshomaru appeared, his eyes finding her immediately and scanning her over.

"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha spat, gripping his sword tightly.

"Wait Inuyasha." Kagome urged, putting a hand on his shoulder and glancing at Hikaru.

The girl could barely hold back the tears in her eyes. She had only felt so relieved once, and that was when she saw Rin was alive despite the amount of blood on the ground.

Sesshomaru stopped scanning her and turned to move away.

Hikaru took a few steps in his direction, before remembering something.

She turned and searched around, finding Kuroro with Koume who had stepped out of the cave.

He gave a little bow "I promise I will take care of your kit."

Kuroro nodded before mewling her goodbyes. Her kit mewled back before being gathered into Hikaru's arms.

The girl then looked at the group. Inuyasha huffed and looked away. The others smiled and waved.

"Take care of yourself." Kagome said gently.

"I hope we meet each other again." Shippo said, earning him Inuyasha's glare.

Hikaru nodded and waved a bit before turning around and running to catch up to Sesshomaru. She stopped once she reached him, walking as close to the demon as she dared.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

He glanced at Hikaru over his shoulder as they walked. Never before had the girl walked so close to him with a totally relaxed stance.

He wasn't complaining, far from it. The close proximity seemed to sooth his beast and it made his check over easier.

Other than her bruised hands, she seemed unharmed. She didn't seem famished or too dirty (he guessed he had to thank the females of the group for that). The only bad thing was that she seemed tired and slightly bruised.

His beast rumbled angrily, remembering how they had found her, in danger. Of course Inuyasha had no qualms about endangering young ones, his younger brother tactless strategy being rush in and hope for the best. It was a miracle in itself his companions had lasted that long.

He also didn't like how the hanyo's scent, along with his group's, clung around Hikaru. They would have to stop by an onsen later.

His beast agreed. It didn't like in the slightest so many strange scents on her and the lack of his and his group's.

He eyed with curiosity the kit in Hikaru's arms. Apparently she had been chosen. In demon society it was considered an honor, demon animals being so few.

He found himself curious to see where this would lead later.

They finally stepped into the clearing Sesshomaru and his group had made camp into. He felt Hikaru stop beside him and continued to the nearest tree to sit against its trunk.

Ice blue eyes met brown ones and time seemed to freeze for a moment. The kit took the opportunity to slip out of Hikaru's arms and went to sit next to the demon lord (who didn't seem that bothered).

The whisper of each other names flew past their lips, unbidden, before they flung themselves at each other.

They met halfway in a fierce hug, afraid that if they let go the other would disappear. Rin began to cry in relief, mirror of Hikaru's own tears.

"I missed you so much!"

"I know, me too."

Nothing more needed to be said.

"Here you are you stupid child!"

"Jaken-sama!"

"Release me! You're suffocating me!"

AhUn roared in happiness before rushing to greet Hikaru too, running over the kappa in the process.

Sesshomaru found himself sighing despite himself, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

He silently watched Rin and Hikaru as the two girls slept, snuggling tightly against each other, their arms surrounding each other and their hair a mix of moon and night.

Since they had been reunited the two had refused to part, their hands constantly clasped and their fingers always intertwined.

They had stopped briefly at an onsen and the girls had taken a bath, Hikaru thankfully removing his brother's scent off her, along with all other foreign fragrances.

While traveling Hikaru had narrated to Rin what had happened with Inuyasha and his group. During her tale Sesshomaru found himself wanting several times to go back to the group just to wring the hanyo's neck, or at least to inflict pain. He had known the boy wasn't a born leader, but he had never thought his alpha skills were this abysmal. Letting his packmates wander as they pleased in a castle filled with demonic aura, leaving children almost constantly without supervising and constantly rushing into fight without the merest of plan.

It was a wonder how he still had a pack, really.

But at least out of it he got interesting pieces of information about Naraku. That demon was far too arrogant for his own good. One day it would be his downfall.

And Sesshomaru fully intended to be there to deliver the final blow.

He got out of his musing and looked at the girls again. The still unnamed kit (they were hesitating between Kage and Kuro) was nestled between them, looking mighty comfy, and AhUn was curling protectively around them, providing warmth and protection. Even Jaken was sleeping closer than usual.

They were here, unharmed, peaceful…yet something was missing. His beast was unsettled.

Following his instincts, he got up and silently walked to them. Kneeling down at their level, he raised his hand before ghosting his finger on Hikaru's pale cheek, doing the same on Rin's for good measure, claws delicately mingling with silky strands of hair.

His scent mingled with theirs, poison and ice mixing with ice mint and wildflowers.

His beast rumbled in pleasure, happy, and settled down, leaving him in peace.

Sesshomaru went to sit back against his tree, feeling strangely accomplished.


	11. Chapter 11

**A big thank you to Karkatsbabe and TemariFire for their reviews.**

**Karkatsbabe: Damn right he's possessive. To me he never seemed the type to share what's his (you can ask him, but I can't guarantee you'll come out alive) ^_^**

**TemariFire: The kit's powers won't come into play for a looonnng time, since he was just birthed and needs to grow quite a bit before developing any powers. I'm sorry but I can't answer your second question. It would kind of ruin the story for you. But I hope this chapter can shed some light on how Sesshomaru views Hikaru and Rin. If that can help, Sesshomaru and his beast aren't really in phase with each other. **

_xxxxx_

Chapter eleven

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A few twisted trees were protruding from the rock covered ground, offering a bit of shade under the harsh sun, even though clouds were beginning to amass over the little group. He girls had chosen to ride on AhUn since the jagged rock only hurt Rin's bare feet.

"He already has an intended and yet he flirts with another?" Rin asked, bewildered "How can he do that?"

Hikaru shrugged "Don't ask me. This whole love thing seems really complicated to me."

Rin sighed before nodding.

"It isn't that complicated." Jaken scoffed "Wolf demons are just fickle. You have to be stupid to want to mate one."

"I'll be faithful to my mate." Rin declared "Wont you Hikaru-chan?"

The hanyo nodded determinedly and Jaken sputtered, stumbling slightly.

The girls giggled, unheeding of the glares and angry squawks that followed.

Rin glanced at their lord to see the demon occupied gazing ahead, his eyes set and unmoving, his expression strangely sour.

Hikaru, seeing where she was looking, put a hand on her friend's shoulder and sent her a reassuring smile. Sesshomaru had already been like that a few times but more often than not it didn't last.

Their little group came out of the forest to stare at a rather deep gorge. Rumbles were everywhere at the bed and water was merrily trickling down piles of fallen rocks and over fallen logs, carrying mud and leaves. The kit who had snuggled in Hikaru's kimono poked his head out and hissed.

"Wow." Rin said, her eyes wide.

"This is the result of a powerful attack." Jaken analyzed before turning to Sesshomaru "Do you know who could have done that milord?"

Sesshomaru's mouth set into a thin line "Inuyasha…using Sou'unga."

"Sou'unga milord? I thought the sword had disappeared after you sire's death."

The demon lord replied nothing and turned to leave, following the newly carved gorge in a brisk pace. Jaken squawked and hurried after him, and the girls nudged AhUn to hover over the ground slightly.

The more they walked or flew in AhUn's case), the more Sesshomaru's mood seemed to turn sourer. Finally he stopped and pointed a patch of trees and bushes.

"Go make camp there."

"Yes milord." The kappa took AhUn's reins and made him land before leading the dragon to the forest, Hikaru and Rin climbing down the dragon's back and following.

They reached a clearing with a large tree whose protubing roots formed a sort of alcove. Jaken deemed the place worthy and they let AhUn graze before going to gather firewood and hunt for food.

A scent of fire and wind reached Hikaru and she straightened, recognizing it.

"What is it Hikaru-chan?" Rin asked.

"I smell Inuyasha." Hikaru replied before frowning "But there's something wrong with his scent."

"How so?"

Jaken also sniffed around before exclaiming "This is lord Sesshomaru's younger brother! I will not let my lord face this fiend alone!"

He darted to their left. Rin and Hikaru looked at each other before following him.

They came back near the gorge they had followed and found Sesshomaru facing Inuyasha, Jaken crouching behind a rock not too far away.

"Sesshomaru-sama and Inuyasha aren't really behaving like brothers." Rin noted, crouching on the kappa right.

"Why are you pointing the obvious?" Jaken frowned before really noticing her presence "What are you doing here?!"

"I don't like the sword in Inuyasha's hand." Hikaru frowned on the toad's left.

"You too! Can't you even follow simple instruction?"

"Lord Sesshomaru told you to stay at the camp too." Rin countered.

"And when you left you didn't told us we couldn't follow." Hikaru added.

Meanwhile Sesshomaru and Inuyasha had begun fighting. Hikaru had barely the time to grab Rin's hand to pull her away, Jaken scrambling behind. A second later Inuyasha crashed into the place they had been moments ago and Sesshomaru was quick to follow him to resume their fight into the trees.

They continued exchanging blows through the forest and to a rocky high cliff. Jaken followed, and Rin and Hikaru followed Jaken.

The daiyokai and hanyo went into a headlock and the sword Inuyasha was holding glowed before the hanyo began pushing Sesshomaru to the edge of the ravine.

Rin gasped in fright and Hikaru's ears plastered against her head, but they all sighed in relief when he demon lord found enough strength to push his brother back.

And while the hanyo was distracted he took a hold of Tetsusaiga and sent a wind scar to Inuyasha. Once that was done he let the sword fall down and kneeled over.

"No…" Rin whispered harshly, her hands on her mouth in a horrified surprise. Hikaru put her hands on her shoulders to try and reassure her, thought she was too feeling slightly ill watching the proud demon lord who had until now never shown weakness, gasping for breath.

But her worries were set aside when Inuyasha suddenly ran to them, his glowing red eyes not boding well for them.

They ran away, but the hanyo was way faster than them.

As he was about to swipe his sword at them Hikaru threw up a wall of ice, hoping to hold him off. She was disheartened to see him break right through it, but at least it diverted his blow and neither Rin nor she got beheaded.

Unfortunately Rin tripped and Hikaru stopped to try to get her up quickly. They froze when they noticed Inuyasha hovering menacingly over them.

"Sit!"

The necklace around the hanyo's neck glowed and he struggled against it, giving the two girls time to escape.

"Sit!"

They ran to a little alcove and jumped into it with Jaken. When they glanced back they saw Kagome surround Inuyasha's neck with her arms before the two crashed down, surrounded by a bluish white light.

The girls closed their eyes against the harsh light. Rin recovered first and looked up to see Sesshomaru leaving.

"Hikaru-chan!" She warned "Sesshomaru-sama is leaving! Master Jaken!"

She turned to find the kappa unconscious.

"Master Jaken!" She kneeled beside him and began shaking him while Hikaru straightened, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to clear the dots obscuring her vision "Wake up master Jaken lord Sesshomaru is leaving!"

Hikaru finally was able to see and turned to find the demon lord already gone. She sighed, ears tilting back, before noticing the prone form of Kagome lying a bit away.

She frowned. Had Inuyasha really abandoned Kagome alone and unconscious? What a bad leader. But, in the same time, she couldn't really judge because Sesshomaru had also decided to leave.

Shaking her head she got up to check on the strangely dressed girl. What was their lord thinking, going on his own like that?"

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

He barely noticed his surrounding as he walked toward his destination.

Bitterness climbed up his throat in a vicious clench. His father had deemed a mere hanyo worthier of Tetsusaiga , and now Sou'unga had chosen Inuyasha over him.

He bit back a growl, his eyes narrowing as his anger simmered.

He would bring Sou'unga down, and surpass his father, despite his sire being dead.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Inuyasha's group plus Totosai, Hikaru, Rin and Jaken were travelling in the air, trying to localize Inuyasha or even Sesshomaru. Miroku and Sango were on Kirara, the monk already sporting a red handprint. Kagome and Shippo were on Totosai's cow and Hikaru and Rin were with Jaken on AhUn.

Rin sighed "I hope Sesshomaru-sama is alright."

The kit went into her laps and rubbed his head against her stomach soothingly. Hikaru put her hand on her friend's shoulder, her ears trained on the conversation between Inuyasha's group and Totosai.

"He's lord Sesshomaru Rin-chan, I'm sure he's alright."

"But why does he need to have Sou'unga so much." Rin frowned "He's really strong. He doesn't need an evil sword."

Hikaru sighed and nodded. She also didn't know why their lord was searching for more power when in her eyes he was already strong enough.

"Our lord's bitterness results from what his father has done."

"What has he done master Jaken?" Rin asked.

The kappa sighed "When Sesshomaru-sama's sire died, our lord expected to receive at least Tetsusaiga, the sword who could take down hundred enemies in one swipe. Instead he got Tenseiga, a useless sword who cannot kill."

"But Tenseiga brought me back to life no?" Rin countered.

"Don't interrupt me you rude child! As I was saying, Sesshomaru-sama was deeply hurt as he viewed this as his father refusing to trust him. And now Sou'unga has chosen Inuyasha as his bearer, if only momentarily. Once again our lord took this as a proof he wasn't worthy enough to wield such power."

Rin and Hikaru looked at each other and silence settled once again.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Hikaru tried to distinguish Sesshomaru in the midst of battle while Rin encouraged Jaken who was fighting of zombies with his staff. Unfortunately the demon lord must have been too far away from them and the scent of blood and miasma was too thick for her to track the demon with her nose.

Suddenly she heard a frightened yell and turned to see Shippo being chased by soldiers.

"I will not be long!" She warned quickly before hopping off AhUn.

"But Hikaru!" Rin protested, but the hanyo had already disappeared.

The kit poked his head out of Hikaru's kimono collar and mewled.

"I can't let Shippo manage on his own like that Kuro." Hikaru explained.

Finally she neared the three soldiers running after the kitsune and used her power to freeze their feet to the ground.

"Hikaru-chan!" Shippo exclaimed, running to hug the hanyo when he realised he was saved.

The girl tensed, unused and startled by the sudden much too intimate for her comfort gesture. She however rationalised that the kitsune was acting out of great relief and allowed him to hug her for a few seconds before gently detaching him off her.

"Are you alright Shippo?" She asked.

The little boy nodded.

"Good. Let's go find the other."

They began weaving through the battlefield, decidedly thankful that the revived soldiers were very slow.

They froze when they heard screams.

Hikaru recognised one of them instantly and she whirled to the right, turning just in time with Shippo to see an oni carrying Rin and Kagome to the castle.

"Rin-chan!" Panicked, Hikaru ran after the demon, vaguely hearing Shippo's plea for her to come back.

She wove her way through the soldiers, escaping sword swipes and hands with ease.

She was almost through when one of them managed to grab her elbow.

He tugged her roughly back and raised his sword.

A sword went through his midsection and Inuyasha landed beside Hikaru with a frown.

"What are you doing here!"

"An oni kidnapped Rin and Kagome!"

"This doesn't explain why you rushed in like that! It was foolish!"

Hikaru pouted a bit but refused to admit defeat "I have to rescue Rin!"

Inuyasha opened his mouth for a scathing retort but stopped when he saw the desperation and determination in her eyes.

Huffing, he reached down and grabbed Hikaru by her midsection, tugging her to his side rice bag style.

"Alright I'll rescue your little friend with Kagome, but I don't want to hear any complaining!"

Hikaru nodded, and though she greatly disliked being carried around like a rice sack, let Inuyasha run after the oni.

They (more like he actually) were running up a staircase when they saw Sesshomaru appear at the top from the right.

"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha scowled.

Hikaru gasped and sighed at the same time, relieved "Sesshomaru-sama!"

At the sound of her voice the demon lord turned to her and even if his face remained impassive, Hikaru could tell he was surprised.

The girl wriggled from Inuyasha's grip and ran to him, gripping his pant leg in urgency "Sesshomaru-sama an oni kidnapped Rin!"

"Oy! Don't forget about Kagome too!" Inuyasha yelled before slashing another soldier away.

"I know." Sesshomaru swiped his sword, destroying a dozen of soldiers coming their way.

Inuyasha used wind scar, clearing a pathway to the castle. Hikaru felt herself being picked up, though she immediately knew it wasn't Inuyasha because the hold was much more gentle and swift.

Sesshomaru tucked her into his mokomoko near his shoulder "Do not move."

Hikaru nodded and gripped his haori, burrowing herself in his fur and making sure she wouldn't fall.

When Sesshomaru saw she was settled he jumped forward and over the fallen soldier, unheeding of Inuyasha yelling after him.

He quickly reached the castle and entered, running up the stairs.

They entered the room where the oni had dropped the girls off just in time to see a man about to kill Rin.

Hikaru had barely the time to gasp. Sesshomaru rushed to parry the blow, the blade just a hair away of Rin's head.

The demon lord pushed the man away before nudging Hikaru off his shoulder.

"Rin-chan!" The hanyo girl jumped off and went to hug her friend.

The human girl returned gladly the hug.

"Go." Sesshomaru instructed "You'd only be in the way if you stay."

Kagome nodded before standing up "Come on girls."

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin untangled herself from Hikaru's grip and trusted Tenseiga at the demon lord "Your sword."

The male spared her a glance before returning to the enemy "Hurry up and go."

Nodding, Rin put the Tenseiga down before gripping Hikaru's hand and following Kagome.

They climbed down the multiple stairs, Hikaru helping Rin since they were too big for the human girl.

"Rin-chan, Hikaru-chan, come on!" Kagome urged before beginning to climb down another set of stairs.

"We're coming Kagome-sama." Rin said as Hikaru helped her with the last steps.

They ran to join the woman but immediately backtracked when said woman ran up back to them, the oni who had kidnapped her at her heels.

Hikaru gripped her hold on Rin's hand tighter before pulling the girl back to the stairs. They hadn't begun to climb when they heard Kagome cry in pain.

"Kagome-sama!" Rin exclaimed when, after being thrown away by the oni, the demon plucked her up by the front of her top.

Hikaru threw her hand up and an ice spear went through the oni's arms. The demon let out a roar of pain.

"Let Kagome-sama go!" Rin yelled, throwing the beads that had fallen to the ground when the oni had picked up Kagome.

They landed on the oni's head that promptly disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Still the demon stumbled forward and Kagome collected the beads left before throwing them. But they bounced off the oni's chest without doing any damage.

Kagome grimaced "It doesn't work!"

"Kagome, get back!" Inuyasha jumped up and slashed the demon in two.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called, walking to him with Rin and Hikaru in tow.

"Can't you stay out of trouble while I'm not here? Or perhaps it was this 'sport' again?"

Hiakru and Rin exchanged a confused glance.

"What's 'sport'?" Rin asked.

Hikaru shrugged "Don't know, but is it really the time to quarrel?"

Rn sighed and shook her head before interrupting "Excuse me but, Sesshomaru-sama is still upstairs."

"The bastard!" Inuyasha swore, walking to the stairs "He probably wants all the glory!"

"Wait, Inuyasha!"

"What! I need to go fight Sou'unga!"

"Then listen! If you want to defeat Sou'unga you need to combine Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga's attacks."

"You need to listen to Kagome Inuyasha." A ghost appeared over Kagome's shoulder "You need to combine Tetsusaiga's bakuryuuha and Tenseiga's Souryuuha to defeat Sou'unga's Gakuryuuka."

"Keh! As if Sesshomaru is going to ally himself with me!"

"Idiot!" Kagome yelled "This is why _you _need to ally yourself with Sesshomaru!"

"It's impossible!"

"There's no other solution! You're brothers! You can compromise! Please at least try!"

Inuyasha looked away tensely before relenting…somewhat "Don't be so optimistic."

He disappeared upstairs and Kagome sighed before kneeling and retrieving a bead of Inuyasha's necklace.

"Kagome-sama." Rin tried.

"We need to go back to the others." Hikaru added, tugging lightly on the girl's sleeves.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome turned to them and nodded.

"Alright, let's go."

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Finally, the battle with Sou'unga was over. The evil sword had been sent to heel once for all and wouldn't resurface.

Sesshomaru led his group into a clearing and stopped before going to sit under a tree.

Hikaru and Rin looked at each other before busying themselves with making camp.

Jaken blinked, a bit confused, before opening his beck to remark something. AhUn, quick as lightning, trampled him before making himself comfortable on the still struggling for breath kappa.

Sesshomaru felt more tired than he had ever been in centuries, and he had a lot of thoughts to sort out.

Seeing his father, even briefly, had been a huge shock.

"_I'm proud of you my sons. I have nothing more to teach you."_

All his life he had strived for his father approval. The Inu no Taisho had been an emblematic figure of the western lands. He had wanted for his sire to be proud of him, to prove that he would one day be a lord of the same fibre as the great dog general.

But now that the inu lord had finally said the words he had always longed to hear when he was younger, Sesshomaru felt strangely…dissatisfied.

Even with his father's approval, he didn't felt as if he had achieved his goal. For him his errors were blatantly obvious.

One of his biggest mistakes was leaving his group under Inuyasha's care. He had thought that with them they would be relatively safe since Hikaru had managed to survive her sojourn with them, but he had found Hikaru in the middle of the battlefield dangling on Inuyasha's arms like a vulgar rice bag and Rin kidnapped. His beast was still snarling and growling in anger.

And even if he was loath to admit it, working with Inuyasha had paid off in the end. But it only served to show him of childish he was, even if he sometimes really couldn't help it with the whelp.

And all of that just for a sword. One had cost him his arm, and the other had almost cost him Rin and probably Hikaru too.

All of this meant that he was still not powerful enough.

He was surprised to be startled out of his thoughts when he felt a little pressure on his pant leg.

He turned his gaze from the sky and looked down at Rin and Hikaru.

The two girls were sitting beside him.

"What is it?"

"Sesshomaru-sama, we wanted to say thank you." Rin smiled widely "You came to rescue me and Hikaru when we needed you. And we think you're very strong!"

There was so much conviction in her voice that Sesshomaru blinked, albeit at a lazy pace.

Beside her Hikaru nodded firmly "There are a lot of swords that can destroy and kill, that's easy to find. But you're the only one to possess and sword like Tenseiga, a sword that bring back people to life. That's not a power a lot of people can achieve and Tenseiga chose you as its master. This is why we think that you are very powerful and don't need Sou'unga or Tetsusaiga."

Sesshomaru blinked again and tilted his head to the side a fraction, wondering. Jaken tried to talk but AhUn dutifully squashed him back against the earth.

"You're strong Sesshomaru-sama, with or without any sword." Rin gazed up to him with warm brown eyes. Beside her Hikaru nodded, her blue eyes unwavering.

A strange warmth invaded Sesshomaru's chest at the trust that shone in their gaze.

He could still feel the lingering warmth of Hikaru's little body pressed against his mokomoko. He could remembered the icy dread that had momentarily frozen his inside seeing Rin about to be killed again, and the fleeting worry at seeing Hikaru in the middle of the battle.

He recalled Rin's smile when she handed him Tenseiga, Hikaru running to him and gripping tightly his pant leg before looking up to him, trusting him to rescue Rin.

No, he had to admit, even if it was only to himself. They weren't just little girls he had allowed to come with him and felt duty bound to protect, at least not anymore.

They were pack.

He raised his hand to softly pat Rin's head. The little girl was surprised but happily tilted her head against his caresses.

Hikaru tensed a bit but relaxed shortly after, her ears twitching in delight when claws passed delicately in the silky fur.

"Thank you." The word was barely over a whisper, only meant for the two "Now go back to play. Jaken."

"Y-Yes milord?"

"Go find wood to make a fire."

"Hai milord!"

The kappa struggled out of AhUn's hold and quickly disappeared in the forest.

Rin and Hikaru were soon deeply involved into a game of chase with the kit, and Sesshomaru allowed himself to close his eyes and rest a bit as their laughter drifted to his ears.

AhUn settled down and kept guard.


	12. Chapter 12

**A big thank to Karkatsbabe for the review!**

**I forgot to mention the last chapter was based on the third Inuyasha film (sorry).**

**A few informations for this chapter: Some parts of it are based on episodes 96 and 99. **

**Hatsugama is the first tea ceremony performed during new year.**

**Hatsuhi is the first sunrise of the new year.**

**Mochi are rice cakes made for the new year. The kine is a special hammer used to make them. **

**Please read and enjoy!**

_xxxx_

Chapter twelve

_xxxx_

They were travelling again when Hikaru's ears twitched, distinctively hearing Rin's stomach growl.

Said girl blinked down at her rumbling stomach and turned to the tall silver haired demon walking ahead of their group, leading.

"Sesshomaru-sama, I'm hungry. May I go look for something to eat?"

"Quiet Rin." Jaken berated "A forest like this will have nothing for you to eat. Just bear it."

"But…"

"No buts, be quiet."

Of course doing the contrary Rin jumped off AhUn and skipped into the woods.

"I'll be really quick!"

"Rin!"

"I'll help you!"

"Hikaru!"

The two girls giggled and ran into the woods, soon separating in search of food.

Hikaru was following a trail that she was sure would lead to a berry bush when she heard Rin scream.

Turning around she darted and reached the source of the noise to find her friend in a bush and Sesshomaru facing Samiyoshos that kept transforming into an arm.

"Rin-chan!" She exclaimed, running to inspect her friend "Are you alright?"

Rin nodded before taking her hand "Yes, now come on. We need to find a hive."

Hikaru blinked at the strange request but nonetheless nodded and together with Jaken they searched.

"Jaken-sama!" Rin pointed to the nest up a nearby tree.

The kappa looked up too before noticing the insects flying to them.

"Rin, Hikaru, get down!"

The girls complied and Jaken walked nearer to burn the insects with his staff of two heads.

When he was beginning to get overwhelmed, Sesshomaru lifted his sword and sent an attack that destroyed the insects, the hives, the tree the hives were hanging onto and barely missed Jaken.

The girls got up when they saw there was no threat anymore.

"Thank you Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin exclaimed.

Suddenly they heard Jaken yelp and turned to find him attacked by a few survivor Samiyoshos who sunk their stingers in his arms before flying away.

At the corner of her eyes Hikaru saw Sesshomaru take after them, probably hoping they would guide him to Naraku.

"Quickly Rin, Hikaru! Take those stingers out!"

Rin who was the closest kneeled next to Jaken but it was too late. The stingers sunk in the flesh of the kappa's arm.

"Did you get them out?"

"Sorry master Jaken."

The toad shrieked.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Hikaru filled her recipient with water before looking worriedly up to the slowly setting sun.

She really hoped Rin would come back soon. Perhaps she should have insisted on accompanying her or go in her stead. But the girl when she wanted could be more stubborn than a mule and she somehow thought it was her fault that Jaken's life was threatened.

Sighing, Hikaru shook her head and straightened to go back to the kappa.

When he saw her the kit mewled in greeting.

Hikaru kneeled beside Jaken and soaked a cloth in the clear liquid before tamponing the kappa's forehead.

"…I don't want to die alone…."

"Don't worry master Jaken you will not die." Hikaru said softly "Rin-chan will come back with the antidote."

The toad mumbled something incomprehensible and Hikaru shook her head softly.

A mix of scents she could easily recognise invaded her nose and she turned to find Sesshomaru standing behind her.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" She greeted eagerly, straightening to walk to him. She peeked around and saw AhUn a bit behind, carrying an unconscious Rin.

Immediately worried Hikaru ran to her friend, checking her while Sesshomaru gave Jaken his antidote.

"Jaken-sama." The girl mumbled while the kappa was busy confounding himself in gratitude toward his lord "Don't die…"

Hikaru smiled softly and caressed Rin's hair "He's alright now Rin-chan. You saved him."

A ghost of a smile made its way to the girl's lips I her sleep.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

The girls weren't sure why Sesshomaru had decided to go back to the shiro for a short break. Rin liked to think I was to give Jaken some time to rest. Hikaru was a bit more dubious. How could the kappa rest if he was busy all day running after them, teaching them and organizing Sesshomaru's paperwork?

Nonetheless, the girls were still happy to sleep in real beds and have a larger variety of meals, even if it was just for a short time.

Rin carefully peeked around the corner of the shiro "I see no Jaken."

"Good." Hikaru peeked above her, furry white ears twitching "We can proceed. I don't sense him anywhere."

The girls began running down the corridor as silently as they could, their kisodes fluttering behind them.

When they had come back to the shiro, Jaken had resumed his lessons, which also meant the girls had resumed their escapades when the kappa became too boring.

They had visited AhUn but they knew Jaken would check his stable so they said goodbye to the twin headed dragon and went to find another hiding place.

"Why not try this door?" Rin asked, pointing to a shoji screen to their right.

Hikaru nodded and raised her arm "Kuro."

The kit peeked his head out of her kisode's sleeve and mewled before jumping to the ground and slipping in the room when Rin slit the door open.

He came back a few seconds later and mewled.

"That means the cost is clear." Hikaru traduced before gathering the kit in her arms and slipping inside, Rin following her.

They stepped into a large dojo and noticed Sesshomaru busy running through katas, tenseiga in hand. He did nothing to indicate he had noticed their presence and the two girls exchanged a glance before quietly going to sit against the wall of the dojo.

They silently observed as the demon lord gracefully performed his sword dance.

"Beautiful." Rin whispered.

Hikaru nodded, having difficulties turning her eyes away.

Rin after a while became a bit bored and looked around. She spied weapons hanging on the wall and poked Hikaru to get her attention. Both girls stood up and neared them, inspecting them closely.

"I think I like the bow." Rin said, eyeing the training bow with its arrows hanging from the high corner of the wall "What about you Hikaru-chan?"

"I don't know…" The girl's gaze scanned the array of weapons before stopping on an elegant spear "What about this one?"

Rin examined the weapon and nodded "It befits you."

Hikaru raised an eyebrow at the tone of finality in her friend's voice "Befits?"

"Yeah, it seems like your sort of weapon. Don't worry I understand myself. How about we try these?"

"But we're too little for them Rin-chan."

The little girl pouted but when she measured the bow in front of her she admitted the weapon was probably taller than her and therefore unusable.

"Alright." She sighed before she heard Jaken's voice "We should go."

Hikaru nodded and they darted through another sliding screen, giggling when they heard the kappa's squawks.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

The cooking room, each time the girl would check, was empty. But they never failed to notice the two cups of tea and biscuits waiting for them on a table. It was as if the invisible servants in this shiro knew what they needed before themselves.

This was why, when they entered the kitchen, the girls weren't surprised to find all the tools and ingredients they needed for their project.

"The rice is ready." Rin announced while checking the container cooking the dish.

"I put the usu in the recipient." Hikaru's voice was a bit strained as she dragged the heavy wooden tool along with its kine nearer.

"Alright!" Eagerly Rin removed the rice and dumped it in the recipient, careful to not burn her hands or spill some of it "Do you want to hammer or add water?"

Hikaru shrugged "How about we do both? I begin to hammer and you add water. Then after a while we exchange."

Rin nodded before going to take a jug of water.

Hikaru raised the kine before letting it fall into the recipient while Rin added a sip of water.

They continued like that for a while, laughing when some of the substance they were making splattered on them because they weren't handling the kine correctly.

"Rin, Hikaru."

They turned to find Sesshomaru standing behind them, looking passively at their white covered face.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin exclaimed, smiling happily with Haruki at the sight of the demon lord "We're doing mochi for the new year! We're going to serve it during hatsugama after hatsuhi. Haruki and I are studying tea ceremony. Will you join us?"

Haruki and Rin weren't put off when the daiyokai simply turned around to leave. They had extended the invitation. They would just have to wait and see.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

An hour before sunrise the girls had gotten up to prepare the table in the gazebo. They decorated the wooden building with bits of bamboo and paper cranes they had folded for hours earlier in the week.

They put a beautiful jade tea set on the low table along with their rice cakes before changing into their kisode, Rin's dark pink with purple cranes and Hikaru's light yellow with blue bamboos.

They were putting down cushions when they heard movements. They turned to see Sesshomaru walking to them, a grumbling Jaken following him.

"You came!" Rin clapped her hands happily "We're so glad."

"Please go sit on the cushions." Hikaru said, her ears twitching in excitement.

They complied, in silence for Sesshomaru and grumbling for Jaken. Rin and Hikaru settled beside and they watched the sun slowly rise.

"The first of the year." Rin whispered, smiling.

Hikaru smiled back "And the first smile of the year."

They looked at each other before giggling.

They served tea, their gestures a bit sloppy but precise, and handed a cup to everyone with rice cakes.

Jaken, who had been protesting about 'disgusting human food' ended eating half of the pastries.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and felt the slowly warming light of the sun on his skin, the soft breeze caressing his hair and listened to Hikaru and Rin's laughter as Jaken babbled.

His beast rumbled happily and he scoffed internally.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

They were travelling again, walking through a thick forest, when Rin's stomach decided to make itself known.

"Sesshomaru-sama may I go look for food?" She asked.

The demon lord turned to her "There's a river a bit away to your left."

"Yay!" The little girl hoped off AhUn "Come on Hikaru-chan! Let's go fish."

Hikaru laughed before imitating her friend, sliding off AhUn and following Rin into the woods, unheeding of Jaken's indignant squawks.

When a sickening familiar smell invaded her nose, she tensed.

_Oh no, Rin!_

She ran forward and darted out of the bushes near the riverbanks to see several wolves and two wolf demons.

"Hikaru-chan." Rin whimpered, stepping back to her and hugging her friend, obviously afraid.

Hikaru's ears plastered against her skull and she lifted her upper lip, showing her teeth and growling. Kuro peeked out of her kimono and hissed in support.

In response the wolves growled some more, taking a few threatening steps.

"Oy, guys!" The wolves froze and looked back plaintively to the two wolf demons "We don't eat humans anymore!"

Jaken chose that moment to appear.

"Jaken-sama." Rin whimpered from Hikaru's hold.

The kappa glanced between them and the wolves before understanding.

"You there!" He yelled "Leave this place immediately!"

"Why?!" One of the wolf demons protested "Don't you know who we are?"

They began a petty fight while Hikaru was attempting to reassure Rin. The wolves had stopped growling threateningly but the girl was still clutching her friend tightly, her whole body tense.

Jaken and the henchmen's argument went quickly downhill and they were close to physically fighting when Sesshomaru appeared.

"Jaken, what are you doing?" He asked indifferently.

"Sesshomaru-sama." Rin recognised, feeling better now that he was here.

Sesshomaru glanced briefly at the girls, noting Rin's frightened expression and Hikaru's ears plastered against her head.

Now that he thought about it, the scent of those wolves was somewhat familiar.

"Who are you?" One of the wolf demons asked.

"You wanna fight?" The other glared.

It took a mere narrowing of his eyes and the pack was running away.

There was silence for a while before Sesshomaru asked "Rin, Hikaru."

Hikaru's ears pricked to attention "Yes?"

"Weren't you going to catch some fish?"

"Ah, yes. Come on Rin-chan you must be hungry."

With a bit of coaxing Hikaru managed to make her friend relax and soon enough they were splashing around in the stream, Jaken trying to direct them from above self-importantly.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Rin and Hikaru watched Kuro frolic in the meadow, chasing butterflies and sniffing the flowers before sneezing.

Usually the girls would be playing with him, but after what had happen the day before…

"Hikaru-chan?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think people can change?"

Hikaru's ears twitched and she looked sideway at her friend who was busy looking up to the sky, her strangely stern eyes busy trailing the lazily rolling clouds.

Frowning, the hanyo girl thought about Rin's question.

Change…could people change like they had witnessed earlier with Koga?

She tried to think about think objectively. Before meeting Rin, had she been different?

And Sesshomaru…had he changed during the time they had shared as a group? She had been afraid of him before. He had been scary and threatening. But now he seemed more open to them.

Was it because he had changed? Or perhaps it was Hikaru who had changed the way she looked at him.

A little smile tugged the corners of her lips "You know what Rin? I think that yes, people can change."

Blinking, Rin stopped glancing at the sky and brown eyes met blue.

The little girl found herself smiling back.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

_She plastered herself against the rough bark of the tree, hoping…_

_The acrid smell of blood assaulted her nose and she whimpered, tears tracing clean paths on her dirty cheeks._

_Aggressive, vile laughter reached her ears and she plastered them firmly against her skull, hoping against hope…_

"_For a demoness, she wasn't that powerful."_

"_Indeed, she didn't put up that much of a fight."_

_Again another wave of laughters._

"_I just love those cute ears! That's just sad the child ran away. I would have loved tearing hers from her skull."_

_Hikaru shivered violently. Why? Why did she have to be so stubborn and curious?_

'_Please mommy!'_

Hikaru straightened violently from her sleeping position, gasping for air.

Choking lightly, she rubbed her nose before wiping away her tears.

She looked down at Rin who was still sleeping, snuggling with Kuro against AhUn.

Glad she hadn't woken her up, Hikaru relaxed slightly.

She looked around and met the inquisitive gaze of Sesshomaru.

Her ears dropped and she stubbornly looked down. She stayed like that for a tense moment before snuggling back against Rin.

Sesshomaru watched her as her breathing slowed, indicating she had fallen back asleep.

He frowned lightly. He had greatly disliked the scent of fear that had clung to her. What was she so afraid of?

His inner beast rumbled unhappily.


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm really sorry about the delay. I was so sick I couldn't lift a hand out of bed. Anyway, a big thank to Karkatsbabe for the lovely review. **

**Please enjoy this thirteenth chapter. It is based on episodes 104, 111 and 115.**

_xxxxxx_

Chapter thirteen

_xxxxxx_

The group had stopped in a little clearing encompassed by wriggly thin trees and thick bushes. AhUn was resting at its edges, keeping an eyes out for danger.

"Sesshomaru-sama is late." Rin whined, pouting.

"Don't be such a child Rin." Jaken scolded "There were signs of poison where lord Sesshomaru was going. IT would have been too dangerous for you and Hikaru to go with him."

Rin sighed and turned away, only to freeze when she saw a familiar shape between trees not too far away.

Hikaru noticed her body tensing and followed her gaze to see a human boy a bit older than her (physically at least), raising an arm to receive a Samiyosho.

Gasping, Hikaru opened her mouth to warn everyone when she felt a hand slap against her mouth.

Blinking in surprise, she turned to Rin who shook her head pleadingly.

Frowning, Hikaru hesitated before sighing and nodding ever so slightly. Rin smiled thankfully and released her.

They looked again, but the boy and insect had already disappeared.

"Come on Rin-chan." Hikaru hoped off the log they were sitting on "Let's go play."

Soon they were laughing, running in the clearing with Kuro happily hopping after them.

AhUn was the first to notice Sesshomaru return and raised its heads to softly roar in greeting.

Hikaru and Rin stopped their games and ran to him, Hikaru at a slower pace but still with a smile.

A smile that quickly disappeared when an awful smell invaded her nose.

"Welcome back Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin exclaimed happily, smiling even more when the demon lord patted her hair lightly in return.

His amber eyes turned to Hikaru and the hanyo took a step back, her ears slowly dropping against her hair.

He frowned internally at the fear beginning to waft from her "Hikaru."

Her ears twitched "Y-Yes?"

"What is it?"

Hikaru's ears dropped lower and she looked down stubbornly.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed ever so slightly and Rin neared her friend.

"Hikaru-chan?" She asked, walking to her and taking her hand in hers "Please tell us."

The hanyo girl bit her lower lip but relented, albeit slowly "The poison…"

Rin blinked "Poison? What poison?"

"The one that was used on Sesshomaru-sama."

"What kind of idiotic fool would use poison on lord Sesshomaru." Jaken scoffed "His doku is the strongest in these lands and cannot be overpowered."

"Jaken."

The kappa squawked before shutting up.

Sesshomaru returned his gaze to Hikaru who fidgeted.

"Hikaru."

The girl cringed but reluctantly spoke "This poison…belonged to a man. This man was in a group, and this group…"

She choked on her words, frustrated and sad tears mixing in her eyes.

"Hikaru-chan?" Rin asked softly.

"This group…they killed my mother."

She barely whispered the last part, trying to contain the silent flow of tears. Immediately Rin gasped before hugging her tightly, Kuro jumping on her shoulder and rubbing his fury cheek against her wet cheeks, purring.

After a while Hikaru managed to dry her tears and continued "But I thought they were dead, after all those years."

"What was the name of this group?" Jaken asked.

Hikaru ears twitched nervously "The band of seven."

The kappa frowned "Then you're right. I heard about this group getting beheaded several decades ago. They had a sinister reputation, even in demon society."

Hikaru felt a shiver run up her spine. If this band was alive and running around, what would happen now?

She felt a warm hand on her head and blinked before looking up to Sesshomaru. The demon lord said nothing, but his gaze never left her, unwavering and solemn.

Hikaru felt herself relax and she silently thanked him, blue eyes looking up to ambers.

Sesshomaru nodded fractionally before retracting his hand and leading his group away.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

The soft earth ground of the forest soon faded into rocky paths littered with rumbles. Mist began to appear, enveloping the group in cold white. The girls had long ago favoured riding AhUn as the jagged pebbles weren't very comfortable to walk on.

Hikaru's ears dropped when she felt something slimy rush against her and she suddenly felt uneasy. Despite herself she shuddered.

"Hikaru-chan?" Rin asked "What is it?"

"We're nearing Mt Harukei." Jaken explained "Since you're human you can't feel it, but anyone with demon blood will feel the purified atmosphere."

Rin blinked before turning back to Hikaru with a worried expression.

"Are you gonna be alright Hikaru-chan?"

The girl smiled back, albeit a bit weakly "Don't worry about me, I'm fine."

Sesshomaru stopped, his group imitating him.

"Stay here." He told them before disappearing in the mist.

Rin looked at him go before hopping off AhUn "Hikaru-chan, let's play!"

"Hn!" Hikaru nodded with a smile before climbing off the dragon, fishing out Kuro off her kimono to put him on AhUn "Stay here Kuro. I know you don't feel that well because of the purified atmosphere."

The kit mewled before curling on the dragon's back and falling asleep. AhUn laid down too, the atmosphere also wearing him down.

"Don't go too far." Jaken warned before sitting down, his breathing slightly harsh.

Soon the two were running around, weaving around the few trees and bushes valiantly growing in the unwelcoming ground, laughing. Jaken had dozed off, propped against his two headed staff.

Suddenly Rin stopped, her gaze fixated on a far off point Hikaru couldn't see.

"Rin-chan?" The hanyo girl neared her friend, only for the girl to bolt away "Rin-chan!"

She ran after her, but the more she neared the mountain the more tired she found herself, and soon Rin had gained enough distance for her to know she would never reach her like that.

"Rin-chan!" She tried to call, but apparently Rin didn't hear her and disappeared within the mist.

She felt extremely weary and out of breath, but she was too worried about Rin to stop.

A hand grabbed Hikaru's collar before she could go any further and she cried out in surprise, turning to see Sesshomaru.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" She exclaimed, relieved to see him here "Rin-chan!"

Amber eyes bore into her "What about Rin?"

"She went that way!" Hikaru pointed to the mountain "She ran away and I felt so tired I couldn't catch up to her."

"Where is Jaken?"

"Back at camp. Please Sesshomaru-sama we have to go and catch up with Rin!"

"You cannot go further. There's a barrier that prevent demons to go through."

Hikaru's ears dropped and she eyed the mist mournfully.

Sesshomaru released her collar now that he was sure she wouldn't do anything reckless and straightened. He scanned the depth of the mountainside and, seeing nothing, took a step forward.

He couldn't leave her in there alone. She was vulnerable and defenceless. But could he really enter? The barrier seemed very powerful.

Suddenly he saw a little figure running to them and something that had tightened in his chest loosened.

"Rin-chan!" Hikaru was hugging the girl tightly the moment Sesshomaru nodded to her "I was so worried! Why did you run off like that?"

The little girl looked hesitant and Sesshomaru immediately knew why.

He frowned internally, his beast rumbling disapprovingly "Where you with that boy, Kohaku?"

Rin fidgeted a bit under his stern stare before looking up to him with pleading eyes "Actually, Kohaku helped me. There were a lot of demons in this cave."

"Demons?" Hikaru asked, confused "But with this barrier, no demon should be able to go near this mountain."

Rin shook her head "I don't know. But either way Kohaku protected me. So please Sesshomaru-sama."

She looked up at him pleadingly, but the demon lord's gaze was focused on the mountain.

He turned to walk away and Rin and Hikaru looked at each other before following. By now they were used to their lord's moods and knew not to push it.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Jakotsu sighed dramatically, eyeing the rocky area they were walking through, tendrils of mist hanging around like white scarves "What's with this air? It made me sick the last time we came too."

"The barrier has been made stronger." Bankotsu explained "This way, neither Inuyasha nor Koga can come after us."

"But it'll be tough for us, even though we're human." Jakotsu sighed.

Ginkotsu grunted his agreement.

Bankotsu's eyes suddenly narrowed and he raised an arm "Wait."

They all stopped and saw a little figure stand out in the misty atmosphere. A little girl carrying a mirror.

Bankotsu smirked "Seems we won't have to go up to the base of the mountain."

Kohaku also appeared as they neared.

"Bankotsu-sama." He greeted.

"Hey Kohaku, who's that albino kid?" Bankotsu asked.

"Kanna."

"And what's that?" Jakotsu asked, bending to look into the mirror.

The device lit up to show a tall silver haired demon sitting against a tree. Not far a two headed dragon was grazing and a kappa was flailing around covered in flowers. Two little girls were busy running away from him, laughing, one with hair as white as snow and the other with midnight black hair.

Jakotsu gasped "That's…"

"You know him?" Bankotsu asked.

"No mistake." Jakotsu confirmed "This is the one who killed Mukotsu."

"This is Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's older brother." Kohaku provided "You are to go after him and kill him too."

Bankotsu immediately scowled. Was that why they were interrupted in their fight with Inuyasha and his gang?

Jakotsu, who was still looking into the mirror, blinked before pointing at the image again "Hey, aniki, does that little girl remind you of anyone?"

Bankotsu, momentarily forgetting about his anger, looked back into the mirror to the white haired little girl.

"Hm." He frowned "She does remind me of something. Weren't we paid once to kill a hanyo?"

"Ah yes!" Jakotsu remembered "That woman had a daughter! We weren't able to find her after killing the mother. She had just the cutest ears I ever saw. Even cuter than Inuyasha's!"

Bankotsu sighed and shook his head slightly at his comrade's antics before looking back to Kohaku "And was that the only reason you called us back? I was busy fighting Inuyasha."

"If you had continued fighting, you would have been killed." Kanna informed them in a whispery voice.

Bankotsu glared "What are you saying?"

"Your halberd cannot defeat Inuyasha's sword."

Bankotsu's eyes narrowed before he swung his weapon and put the blade right in front of Kanna "You mean it's because of this scratch?"

The white little girl's hand rose to caress the wound "It can become much stronger."

She looked to Renkotsu and Bankotsu followed her gaze before smirking.

"I see." He said, turning fully to the man "Oy Renkotsu! Hand them over."

"What do you mean?" Renkotsu tried, only to have Bankotsu's halberd at his throat.

"I know that you stole this girl, Kagome's shikon shards and hid them for me. Hand them over, or should I cut your neck and retrieve the one in there?"

Renkotsu sighed and pushed the blade away "Alright, don't get angry aniki. I was going to give them to you anyway."

He fished out the little bottle and threw it to his leader who broke it, retrieving the shards in there.

"That's a wise decision Renkotsu, you're smart after all. But remember that there won't be a second chance."

"I know."

"Alright." Bankotsu turned away from him and to the rest of his group "Suikotsu, Jakotsu, go get this Sesshomaru."

"Huh?!"

"Not happy Jakotsu? I thought you liked handsome men?"

"I keep telling you." The effeminate man whined "I want Inuyasha!"

"It's a one sided love, forget it. I'm gonna kill Inuyasha anyway. I remember you wanted that little girl's ears before no? Don't you want to retrieve them now?"

"Well." Jakotsu sighed "Since I can't have Inuyasha, I guess this will have to do."

Bankotsu smirked at the man's antic and turned his attention to his weapon. He put the three shards into the halberd and smirked as the weapon pulsed with power.

'_Just you wait Inuyasha.'_

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

"The places around Mt Harukei are surely misty." Rin commented, looking around, trying to decipher the vague shapes she was observing through the thick mist hanging around their group.

Haruki nodded "Be careful Rin-chan, don't trip."

"Don't worry about me!" The little girl said, just before tripping on a rock.

Hikaru sweatdropped before helping her friend up. It would have been easier with AhUn but Sesshomaru had sent him ahead. The path they were walking was bordering a ravine and was too narrow for the two headed dragon to walk on.

The mist finally lifted up somewhat and the girls could see a bridge hanging over the chasm.

"We found it!" Rin exclaimed happily, skipping to the wooden structure.

Hikaru smiled before following, Jaken grumbling but following too.

Sesshomaru took a step forward before suddenly unsheathing his sword and blocking the attack coming to them.

The girls and Jaken jumped in surprise and Hikaru froze when a scent she had hoped to never smell again reached her nose.

"Hikaru-chan?" Rin asked worriedly when she saw her friend's ears drop and her eyes widen in fear.

"So you're Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's older brother?" A form appeared in the mist "I guess you're handsome, though not as cute as Inuyasha."

Jakotsu took a few steps forward and smiled when seeing Hikaru "Oh hey! I'm not sure if you remember me, but I remember you. You have the cutest ears I ever saw! I can't wait to have them."

Hikaru gasped before taking a step back, her ears plastered against her hair.

"Leave Hikaru-chan alone!" Rin exclaimed, standing near the frightened girl and taking her hands in hers.

Jakotsu smirked and Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. The demon lord took a few steps and stood in front of the girls, hiding them from view.

"Jaken."

"Y-Yes milord! Come on girls, let's move."

He pushed the girls to the bridge and they began crossing the chasm. Jakotsu swung his sword at them, only for Sesshomaru to repel the attack.

"Well at least now you'll be able to concentrate on our battle." Jakotsu said.

Sesshomaru didn't answer and attacked.

"I'm worried about lord Sesshomaru." Rin said, trying to look back but unable to see anything because of the mist.

"Preposterous." Jaken scoffed "Sesshomaru-sama will not be defeated by a mere human."

"Don't worry Rin-chan." Hikaru put a hand on the girl's shoulder, trying to be reassuring despite the dread she was feeling "He's strong."

Rin looked at her before nodding and taking her hand "Are you alright?"

Hikaru shivered but nodded determinedly "I'll survive don't worry."

They continued to run on the bridge until a shape appeared in the mist in front of them.

"What's this?" Jaken asked before the figure moved forward, revealing Suikotsu.

Hikaru gasped and took several steps back, eyes widening in fright "That's one of the bandits!"

The man smirked before raising his metal claws and striking.

Rin screamed and the two girls dived down, narrowly escaping the blades. Jaken blocked the next strike with his staff.

"Retreat you two!" He ordered while blowing fire at the enemy.

When the blast died down, the man was no longer here.

"That did it!" Jaken said, satisfied.

"But the bridge is gonna collapse." Rin observed worriedly.

"Alright then let's go back quickly." The kappa ordered.

They began running back, only for metal claws to pierce the wood, narrowly missing Jaken.

"He's still alive!" Hikaru exclaimed as Suikotsu climbed on the collapsing bridge from under.

The bridge chose that time to collapse and they all fell down into the river.

Lost in a world of cold water, Hikaru couldn't even see where she was, and even less where Rin or Jaken were. She could confusedly feel Kuro nestled in her kimono but that was all.

Suddenly she found herself being able to breathe again and falling. She looked down and screamed when she saw a waterfall.

But nothing could break her fall. She miraculously landed into the water again, avoiding the sharper and taller rocks.

But her head still collided with one and she fell unconscious.


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry for the delay! Until recently I was having internet problems. **

**To Karkatsbabe: Thank you for your review! Sorry to have made you wait this long. Now you can know what happens to Hikaru.**

**Anyway, please enjoy this 14****th**** chapter and don't hesitate to leave a little review.**

_xxxxxx_

Chapter fourteen

_xxxxx_

"Can you see anything Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.

The dog hanyo leading the way before her shook his head "Nothing yet."

Kagome sighed and looked at the unconscious Koga laid across Kirara's back, behind her. She disliked leaving Sango and Miroku behind in Mt Harukei, but they had little choice. Koga was hurt and they needed to find a secure place to put him in so he could recover.

The little kit in her arms groaned softly, trying to burrow himself deeper in the girl's hold, and Kagome hugged Shippo tighter, petting his hair. With a bi of chance, going away from the mountain's influence would do the kit some good.

Kirara suddnely slowed down, ears perking, and Kagome blinked in surprise.

"What is it Kirara?" She asked.

The feline's ears twitched and she tilted her head to the right.

"I think she's sensing something." Shippo provided helpfully, perching himself on Kagome's shoulder to try and get a better view point.

The girl frowned "Inuyasha!"

The hanyo stopped and looked back at her "What! We need to find somewhere to put the mangy wolf before the band of seven comes look for him."

"I know, but Kirara is sensing something."

Inuyasha frowned before bouncing back to them. His nose twitched and he caught a scent. It wasn't unknown, slightly familiar…

"Stay here." He instructed before jumping down the slowly forming ravine bordering the river to investigate.

"Be careful!"

He 'tsked' before continuing to swiftly climb down the ravine to the river, rock by rock.

He began searching and a tiny mewl reached his ear. He turning right and behind a big rock found a little body.

"What the…" He jumped near it and noticed a tiny cat with cream fur and black marking, completely soaked "I saw you somewhere no?"

The kit mewled and Inuyasha kneeled to turn the body around.

"What the heck!" He exclaimed when he recognised Hikaru.

He checked the surroundings, but didn't sense Sesshomaru nearby. It meant that something happened. He just couldn't see the bastard abandoning his charge, as much as he liked to call him cold hearted out loud. He knew his half-brother at least had some honour.

He smelt blood and cursed when he saw his hand coated in red, dark pink spreading in the little girl's hair.

Having little choice, he gathered Hikaru in his arms and picked up the dripping kit before running back to Kagome.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Hikaru woke up to arguing and…was that water she felt?

Frowning, she opened her eyes and raised herself on her elbows to see Inuyasha and Koga arguing, the hanyo trying to shake off water from him. She looked around and noticed she was in a little cave, probably by the river if the sound of rushing water reaching her ears was any indication.

"Ah, you're awake."

Blinking, Hikaru turned to see Shippo smiling at her "Kagome-chan! Hikaru's awake."

Hikaru blinked and sat up, smiling when Kuro settled in her laps, purring happily.

"I'm glad you are up." Kagome smiled as she went to kneel beside her "You had a nasty cut at the back of your head. What happened?"

Surprised, Hikaru raised a hand to feel her neck, and sure enough she could feel a little blotting "Members of the band of seven attacked us. I think their names were Jakotsu and Suikotsu. One of them distracted Sesshomaru-sama while the other attacked us. Master Jaken fought him off but the bridge we were on fell apart and we all fell into the river."

"I'm surprised Sesshomaru didn't rescue you." Inuyasha scoffed "This is the second time we had to save your hide. Either he really suck as pack leader, either he's really trying to get rid of you."

Hikaru's ears dropped against her hair and she growled, showing her teeth "Don't talk about Sesshomaru-sama like that!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded.

"Kerps." The hanyo crossed his arms and looked stubbornly away "Let's go Kagome."

The girl blinked "What do you mean?"

"You wanted to find a safe place for the wolf? That's done. Now let's go. With a bit of chance Sesshomaru is coming for the girl and he'll kill Koga. Less trouble for us."

"Don't say things like that!" Kagome frowned.

"You always chastising me but you never say anything to the ungrateful wolf!"

Hikaru sweatdropped. Which age was Inuyasha? He was behaving like a pup, not a grown up.

"Alright I'll say it!" Koga straightened a bit before taking Kagome's hand in his "Thank you Kagome."

Inuyasha quickly put himself between them "You should thank _me_."

"All you did was carrying me."

Inuyasha growled before straightening "He looks fine. Let's leave him Kagome."

"But it looks like he can't move yet." The girl said worriedly.

"But what about Miroku and Sango?"

"Yeah." Shippo added "I wonder what's going on with those two at Mt Hakurei?"

"They should be back soon." Inuyasha said.

"Yes, probably…" Kagome looked down worriedly.

"So, let's go!" The hanyo took a step toward the entrance of the cave, only to see a samiyosho.

The insect left immediately and Inuyasha narrowed his eyes before turning back to the group "Stay here! I'll get him before he gives away this place."

He jumped outside and swiftly disappeared.

Hikaru looked at him go and continued to stare outside, vaguely hearing Kagome inquire about the wolves' health.

A powdery metallic scent reached her nose and she got up to peek outside.

"What is it Hikaru-chan?" Kagome asked, coming beside her.

"Gunpowder…"

"What?"

"She's right." Shippo said, climbing onto Kagome's shoulder "I smell gunpowder."

Kagome frowned before her eyes widened "I sense a shikon shard."

At that moment they heard a gunshot and the cliff a bit away from them collapsed, raising the river's current and forming a whirlpool.

An acrid oily smell assaulted Hikaru and she whirled her head to the left to see a makeshift flaming boat floating from the river, transforming the water's colour.

It crashed against the rocks and the whole river was set aflame.

"What's happening?" Shippo exclaimed, panicked.

"It must be the ban of seven." Kagome said before sensing something "Above us!"

They looked up to see Renkotsu. Kuro jumped on Hikaru's shoulder before hissing.

"I poured oil into the river!" The man warned "You cannot escape!"

"Hikaru-chan get back inside." Kagome pushed the girl back into the cave.

"That Renkotsu!" Koga raged, trying to get up "This time I'm going to kill him."

"You can't Koga." Kagome said, retrieving her bows and arrows "You're too injured."

She stepped back outside and attempted to fire, only for Renkotsu to throw fire at her.

Inuyasha came just in time to protect her.

He carried her back into the cave and put his outer haori on her.

"That Renkotsu." He gritted his teeth in anger "Apparently he couldn't wait for me to kill him."

He stood up and turned to the cave entrance.

"Wait Inuyasha." Kagome "You should wear your haori."

"Yeah." Shippo agreed "You need this to fight off the flames."

"No, you two wear it. I won't need it against a mere human."

"You stay out of it!" Koga yelled angrily "He's mine to kill!"

"He's after your jewel shards! If he gets them we're in big trouble!"

The wolf demon gritted his teeth but didn't answer.

"Inuyasha, be careful." Kagome said.

The hanyo nodded before leaping out.

Curious, Hikaru went to peek out with everyone else and saw one of Renkotsu's bullet collide with Inuyasha, sending him back into the aflame river.

With a roar Kirara transformed and leaped, receiving Inuyasha on her back before speeding back up. They managed to get to his level before being blasted off.

Then Renkotsu aimed at them and they hurried off back into the cave.

"Hikaru-chan!" Kagome exclaimed, grabbing the girl before putting her under her with Shippo, Inuyasha's haori spread over them.

The blast hit the walls and the cavern shook. Hikaru waited with baited breath and a thundering heartbeat for the structure to collapse but to her relief it didn't.

"Stay put everyone." Kagome whispered.

"What do you mean Kagome-nee-san?" One of the wolf demons asked.

"We're gonna trick Renkotsu." The girl explained "Koga, when he comes near you, you'll have an opportunity to strike."

"Understood Kagome." The wolf said before lying back.

Hikaru stayed put, trying not to breathe too much, hoping that the plan would work.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

"Hikaru-chan!" Rin called from her place on AhUn's back, looking around the river "Hikaru-chan!"

Sesshomaru was walking a bit ahead, his eyes scanning their surroundings. By now even Jaken knew better than to talk.

His master was in a bad mood.

Finally they stopped and Sesshomaru jumped down, his nose guiding him.

He knelt and his fingers brushed against a patch of dried, half washed away blood.

Hikaru's blood.

Along with his brother's scent.

He felt his beast stir and something tighten in his stomach. He quickly jumped back to the group and continued walking down the river.

His teachers had explained to him, when he was young and learning, that the strength and prestige of a yokai depended on several factors, one of them being the number of successfully raised pups. Until today he had never understood how difficult that was.

He remembered when he himself was a pup. When he went with his father his life was never in danger. True his mother was with them too, and he now hadn't a mate to help him, but he was sure that even without one the Inu no Taisho wouldn't have let harm befall his pup.

Rin and Hikaru had already been abducted several times, and this time Hikaru was hurt.

Such a great alpha he was, really.

Up until he had anything but contempt when yokais talked about the difficulty and strength needed to raise young ones successfully. Surely protecting children couldn't be that hard.

Scoffing internally at his past naivety, he concentrated back on the river and its surroundings.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Hikaru, Shippo Sango, Miroku and Kagome were on a transformed Kirara, Kuro safely nestled in Hikaru's kimono. Inuyasha was in the lead, Koga and his sidekicks following, loosely surrounding the flying fire cat.

Suddenly they saw Inuyasha tense, silver ears twitching.

"Where is he going?" Hikaru asked, watching Inuyasha dart off full speed ahead of them.

Kagome frowned "I'm not sure. Either way we better follow him."

Sango nodded and urged Kirara to go faster and the fire cat complied with a roar, following the hanyo, Koga and his henchmen trailing after them, the two sidekicks panting for breath.

The scent of miasma became overbearing and Hikaru held back a whine before covering her nose.

"This scent is awful!" Shippo whimpered, burrowing his face in Kagome's shoulder.

"This is Naraku's miasma." Sango said "We better hurry."

Kirara roared and sped up again. They soon saw Inuyasha kneeling on the ground, a figure standing in front of him.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Hikaru exclaimed happily, squirming out of Kagome's hold and jumping on the ground as soon as Kirara's paws touched the ground.

His amber gaze turned to her and he suddenly felt marginally better, the knot in his stomach loosening. He scanned her form and was relieved to see she was uninjured.

Hikaru ran to him, noticing Jaken at his lord's feet, but suddenly felt herself lifted up from the ground.

She glanced up to see Inuyasha keeping her hanging and her ears flattened when she saw the cold anger in his eyes.

"You're a hypocrite Sesshomaru!" The hanyo raged "You keep on hating me because I'm a hanyo, yet you take care of this one." He shook lightly Hikaru and Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed dangerously.

The demon lord put a hand on Tokijin's handle, reining in his beast who was snarling threateningly.

"I'm sure you saw Kikyo being murdered and didn't lift the little finger!" Inuyasha growled "It's the second time I save the girl. You should keep a better eye on her."

A very subtle warning rumble vibrated in Sesshomaru's voice "Release Hikaru Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed, climbing down Kirara "Let Hikaru go!"

"Kerps!" Inuyasha scowled but put down the girl who immediately ran to Sesshomaru, her little hands fisting in his pants as she hid behind his legs "You better look after her better than that, because next time I won't bother saving her from your incompetence."

Sesshomaru growled before unsheathing Tokijin and releasing a wave of blue electricity toward Inuyasha.

The hanyo dodged and unsheathed Tetsusaiga with a smirk "Struck a nerve eh?"

Sesshomaru's upper lip lifted, showing glinting fangs. He lifted his sword higher but stopped when he felt a tug at his pants.

He looked down too see watery ice blue eyes staring up pleadingly to him.

"Please." Her little voice barely reached his ears "Can we go now?"

He stilled, his anger dying down when the scent of fear reached his nose. She was afraid.

At that moment he wanted nothing more but to rip Inuyasha to shred, for scaring her and questioning his ability as alpha, but he had other priorities.

He sheathed his sword and began walking away, Hikaru eagerly following him, her hand still clutching his pants as the lord subtly made his stride less long so she could do so..

Jaken threw Inuyasha one last glare before following.

They disappeared in the rising smoke.

"Inuyasha!"

Immediately the hanyo's ear plastered against his skull and he turned to see a very angry Kagome.

"How dare you threaten and frighten a child!"

"It's Sesshomaru's fault! He watched Kikyo get killed and didn't do anything!"

"And that justifies your actions? What did you plan to do to Hikaru-chan anyway?!"

The male frowned before looking down "Nothing special…I just wanted to make Sesshomaru react."

"And to do that you needed to frighten poor Hikaru?"

"Yeah, that's rude Inubaka." Shippo piped on Kagome's shoulder.

Usually Inuyasha would have replied with an angry retort before chasing the little fox around. Then Shippo would have called on Kagome and the girl would have sat the hanyo.

The whole group frowned worriedly when said hanyo replied nothing, just stared down, his gaze full of pain and sorrow.

Kagome's fist clenched and she looked down to see a broken bow.

She looked back sadly at the white haired hanyo.

'_Oh…Inuyasha…'_

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

"Hikaru-chan!" Rin yelled before running to her friend, immediately engulfing the girl in a hug.

Hikaru hugged back just as tightly before being greeted by a happy AhUn. Kuro poked his head out of Hikaru's kimono and mewled happily.

The girls blinked, a bit startled, when Sesshomaru kneeled beside them.

His amber gaze fixed Hikaru before his hand went to touch the back of the hanyo's neck, where Kagome had put a weird contraption she had called band aid.

"Does it hurt?"

Hikru blinked again and looked into his eyes. Her ears twitched when she saw a spark of…was that worry? Regret perhaps?

She decided she didn't like the idea of her worrying him, or causing him any sort of trouble whatsoever, so she put on her best smile.

"Don't worry lord Sesshomaru, I'm perfectly fine. Kagome washed the wound with something that at first stung but helped protect it from infection. Then she put this…banad I think, so that it wouldn't re-open accidentally."

He scanned her, but seeing not trace of pain or discomfort, the spark disappeared and he straightened.

He began walking away and the girls quickly climbed on AhUn, Jaken taking the reins. During their travel Hikaru narrated to Rin what had happened to her, Sesshomaru and Jaken discreetly listening (well, as discreetly as Jaken could listen before throwing in a snarky comment).


	15. Chapter 15

**A big thank to Karkatsbabe for the lovely review. This chapter is based on episodes 133, 134 and 162. Please enjoy the 15****th**** chapter.**

_xxxxx_

Chapter fifteen

_xxxx_

"I see…something grey."

"Is it rock?" Hikaru asked amusedly, sweatdropping as she glanced around.

Rin giggled "Yes! How did you guess?"

They both laughed, unheeding of Jaken's moody rambling as he directed AhUn along a rocky path between two mountains.

Sesshomaru, who was leading, stopped. Jaken ran into him and stumble back while AhUn stopped behind him.

Hikaru's ears twitched as she heard someone playing a flute.

"It's beautiful." Rin whispered once she was also able to hear the music.

Hikaru said nothing. To her the tune sounded…sad, pleading, haunting.

A woman appeared, playing a long bamboo flute.

Once she stood in front of Sesshomaru, she stopped playing and kneeled before him.

"It has been quite some time, Sesshomaru-sama."

Rin and Hikaru blinked and glanced at each other. Sesshomaru knew this woman?

"Who are you?" Jaken asked "An acquaintance of lord Sesshomaru?"

The woman raised her head, showing her face "I am Sara."

"Hikaru-chan?" Rin whispered, tilting her body to her friend "What do you think? She's really beautiful, but I didn't know Sesshomaru-sama knew humans."

The girl shrugged "I don't know, and she's very beautiful, but…"

Rin blinked "What?"

Hikaru eyes narrowed slightly at the woman busy talking to Sesshomaru.

"She seems…lost."

"How so?"

"Look in her eyes."

Rin complied and looked before biting her lips.

She nodded "Her eyes seem sad."

"Please Sesshomaru-sama." Sara said as she straightened "Let me make your wish come true."

"Do as you please."

The woman nodded before walking forward, bypassing the group. As she walked past Rin and Hikaru, the latest felt the slightest of shiver run down her spine.

She narrowed her eyes _'Was that…?"_

Jaken frowned at Sara's disappearing figure "Who is she anyway, lord Sesshomaru?"

"She sure was beautiful." Rin piped in, stepping near the kappa.

"That's just make-up Rin." Jaken snorted "But what can a mere human do?"

"Are you blind?" Sesshomaru said as he began to walk away "That was no human."

"Huh?"

"A demon, perhaps originally human, but one who never quite became a demon."

"What!"

Hikaru blinked and shared a glance with Rin.

The group resumed walking and travelled for a few hours before stopping in a large platform hanging above a ravine.

"Stay here." Sesshomaru instructed them shortly before walking away.

They looked at him until he disappeared and Rin turned to Hikaru.

"Hikaru-chan let's play."

The hanyo girl nodded and soon they were absorbed in their games.

The sun soon began to dip behind the mountains and Rin was the first to notice Sesshomaru coming back.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" She exclaimed happily, running to him with a smile, Hikaru not far behind.

"Welcome back." The white haired hanyo finished.

The demon lord patted their heads briefly before moving forward.

"Where have you been Sesshomaru-sama?" Jaken asked.

"Nowhere. Let's go."

"Yes mylord!" Rin saluted before climbing on AhUn with Hikaru. The twin headed dragon rose to its feet and followed Sesshomaru, Jaken grumbling behind.

"Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin asked after a while.

He turned his eyes to her and the girl continued.

"Is Lady Sara still sad?"

"Sad?"

"When we met her earlier today." Hikaru explained "Her eyes seemed lost."

Sesshomaru gazed at her briefly before turning back to the road "She has found peace."

Rin sighed "That's a relief."

Hikaru smiled and nodded.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

"Hikaru." Jaken scolded "Stop looking at the sky and help me gather firewood."

"But Rin still isn't back." The girl pouted, refusing to look from the blackening sky "Perhaps it was a bad idea to let her go alone."

The group had stopped for the night in a little clearing, and Rin had gone search for something to eat while the others prepared the camp. Sesshomaru had long ago disappeared.

"AhUn is with her." Jaken said with an irritated voice "You shouldn't worry so much. Now come and help me!"

Hikaru sighed before turning away from the sky and helping Jaken settle camp.

She was starting the fire when she heard AhUn's roar.

"They're back!" She exclaimed happily, rushing to her friend as the twin headed dragon landed, almost setting Jaken on fire when she threw the inflamed stick away.

She frowned when she saw the troubled look on Rin's face when she helped her on the ground "What is it Rin-chan? Something happened?"

Rin seemed to gather herself and offered a smile "It's nothing. Come on let's eat. I found big roots."

Hikaru grimaced, disliking roots, and Rin giggled.

The sun disappeared behind the horizon and soon the only source of light was the tight crescent of the moon and the fire where the roots for the girls and lizard for Jaken were roasting.

"Master Jaken?" Rin asked, breaking the silence "What is Sesshomaru-sama going to do once he defeats Naraku?"

The kappa sighed "You probably don't know, but lord Sesshomaru has long been in search of something called power. He will probably become the greatest demon of all time and reign over his own empire. And when that happens, I will become the empire's prime minister."

"But he seems plenty powerful to me." Hikaru said.

"Milord's goal is to surpass his father and rule over an empire. To you he may seem powerful but there are plenty of demons out there who can still challenge him and win."

There was a short silence before Rin asked:

"Jaken-sama."

"Hn?"

"What will Hikaru and I do in this empire?"

Jaken sighed "Even though it's lord Sesshomaru, who knows how long it will take to create this empire. To us demons, a hundred year's nothing, but for a human and even a hanyo…"

Hikaru quickly motioned to AhUn who complied and squished the kappa under his weight.

Ignoring the struggling toad she neared Rin and took her hands in hers.

"Rin-chan." She said gently "No one knows what tomorrow will bring. So who knows, perhaps when Sesshomaru-sama will build his empire, we will be there. But for now, let's do our best to stay with him and let's eat those roots before they burn."

Rin smiled and took their meal out of the fire before handing her friend one.

They ate mostly in silence, though Jaken struggled to get out from under AhUn.

Hikaru tried not to think and pushed the questions to a dark corner of her mind. She knew nothing good would come from this.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

The night was peaceful, Jaken snoring against a tree and Hikaru and Rin sleeping next to each other. Kuro was snuggling on AhUn's back, both animals sleeping deeply.

Hikaru's ears twitched at the sound of a flute and she raised her head, rubbing her eyes to see Rin walking away.

"Rin-chan?" She asked, frowning when the girl didn't answer.

She got up and caught up to her, frowning even more when the girl still didn't react.

"Rin-chan?" She called again, following after her.

Mist began rising, enveloping the two girls.

Hikaru was momentarily distracted by her pendant which began glowing and stopped.

'_Oh no!'_ she took the necklace and hid it deeply in the folds of her kimono.

She suddenly felt herself being picked up and looked up to see a green skinned demon looking at her curiously.

She cried out and struggled, only for the demon to shake her roughly.

"Stop wriggling you annoying half breed! Now, what am I going to do with you?"

Hikaru's ears plastered against her head and she looked down at Rin to see the girl was still in a sort of trance, standing passively beside the demon.

"Well." The demon decided "I can try to sell you. Who knows? Hanyos are rare after all."

He began walking away, Rin following him mindlessly.

"Rin! Hikaru!"

Hikaru twisted herself to see Jaken running after them.

"Master Jaken!" She cried, but his form was already blending in the mist, and soon she couldn't hear him anymore.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Hikaru sat against the wall of the cavern, careful of putting as much distance as possible from the other children who seemed as afraid of her as they were of the demon, much to Rin's dismay.

"Don't worry about them." Her friend whispered, sitting next to her "Sesshomaru-sama will come to rescue us."

Hikaru offered a smile and nodded "I just wish I could do something, but tonight I'm pretty much powerless."

Rin tilted her head "How so?"

Discreetly Hikaru fished her necklace out of her robes and showed the glowing jewel to her.

Rin's mouth formed a silent 'o' and she looked worriedly at her "Then we need to get out of here as fast as possible."

Hikaru nodded, eyeing warily the demon blocking the entrance.

He opened his eyes and glanced outside before getting up and walking out. Hikaru's ears twitched and she strained to hear what was happening outside.

"Can you hear something?" Rin asked softly.

Hikaru sighed in exasperation.

"My hearing is already fading." She whispered back "But there's a group outside, I think they're human."

Rin straightened and went to peak outside. Hikaru heard the demon scream in pain before a wave of purification hit her, making her choke a bit.

Rin ran back inside and pushed Hikaru against the wall, joining her shortly after.

Hikaru looked at her curiously and the girl motioned her to hush. The hanyo frowned but nodded before complying.

She understood when she saw the monk enter the cave. While smiles spread on the other children's faces, she felt her heartbeat pick and her stomach tighten in fear.

The monk led the children outside and Hikaru strained to hear what was said.

"Is that all of you?"

"There's still that girl."

"Yeah! She's with that demon! She's weird."

"A demon?!"

Cold ice spread in Hikaru as she heard footsteps nearing their hiding spot.

A pair of feet came into view and the girls looked up to see cold black eyes staring down at Hikaru.

The monk's hand shot down and roughly grabbed Hikaru's elbows before dragging her out.

"No!" Rin yelled, springing after them, only to be gathered into another monk's arms.

"You have been tricked by the demon." The man said gently "Don't worry we will save you."

"No! Let me go! Don't hurt Hikaru-chan!"

The monk dragging Hikaru stopped and threw the girl in the middle of a circle formed by the monks.

"You bewitched this girl's mind." The head monk said, glaring at Hikaru who by now was trembling "For that you will be purified."

"No!" Rin yelled "Sesshomaru-sama!"

The monks sent sutras aimed at Hikaru, but a green whip appeared and slashed them into nothing.

Sesshomaru landed beside Hikaru and both girls felt relief.

"Hold him down!" The head monk ordered.

The groups of monks began muttering and a blue light appeared around Sesshomaru and Hikaru, forming a circle. Hikaru gasped and stood up, gripping Sesshomaru's pant leg in fright.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed and he quickly gathered Hikaru in his arm before covering the girl with his mokomoko and haori sleeve, hoping to lessen the impact of holy energy.

The head monk slammed his staff on the ground and sent a blue wave of purification energy "Take that demon!"

Electricity sparkled around Sesshomaru and despite being covered Hikaru cried out in pain.

"No!" Rin wriggled but couldn't get out of the monk's hold "Hikaru-chan, Sesshomaru-sama!"

The demon lord's eyes suddenly turned red and his fangs grew slightly with his markings. He snarled before his youki surrounded him, overpowering the reiki and sending the monks back, breaking the circle.

While the head monk was too stunned to move Rin managed to escape his hold and ran to Sesshomaru.

"Sesshomaru-sama! How is Hikaru-chan?"

The demon lord glanced down in his arm to see an unconscious hanyo. He frowned before turning around and walking away.

"Come Rin."

The girl nodded and followed after him.

"No little girl, come back!" The head monk, the only one conscious, tried "He's a demon, a monster! You can't live in their world!"

Rin briefly turned around to glare at the man "You are the monster! Hikaru never did anything to you or anyone, yet you wanted to kill her! Perhaps I'm only human but I prefer going with her and Sesshomaru-sama, even if it doesn't last!"

With that said she turned around, leaving a stunned man behind her.

Sesshomaru threw the little girl a pensive look. At a moment he had wanted to give her the choice, to come back or go live with humans again.

He could pretend he would have accepted either choices, but he couldn't deny his beast's happy rumblings at her words.

A shift of youki alerted him and he looked down to see Hikaru's hair slowly transforming, white become black as the sun rose above the horizon.

He stopped to gaze down, surprised, as Hikaru lost her demonic features.

For a moment he worried, but Rin, who had noticed his halt and looked up to him and Hikaru, spoke.

"One day each year Hikaru-chan transform into a human." She explained "This is why she wasn't able to use her power tonight."

Sesshomaru glanced at her before nodding slightly and resuming his walk, Rin happily skipping beside him.

"Sesshomaru-sama?"

"What is it?"

"If one day I die, will you always remember me?"

The demon lord actually faltered in his step, a second freeze that was quickly covered. His eyes widened for a moment before he stared down at Rin.

The little girl threw him back a slightly sad smile and Sesshomaru's gaze narrowed before looking forward "Don't say such stupid things."

Rin blinked before smiling softly "Yes Sesshomaru-sama."

She returned to her skipping, humming softly, Sesshomaru following her.

Yes, Rin was human. Humans died so easily, so quickly, while for a demon a decade could pass in the blink of an eye. And even if Hikaru could live longer, her human blood still gave her a shorter life too.

His beast made a sound that sounded like a mix between a keen and a growl.

He didn't want them to go. He didn't want them to leave.

He wanted them to stay here, with him.

His jaws tightened and his hold on a still unconscious Hikaru strengthened, his arm bringing her closer to his chest.

_::His::_

His beast growled approvingly.

"Sesshomaru-sama! Rin!"

"Jaken-sama!" Rin exclaimed happily, running to the kappa to hug him tightly, laughing at his angry squawks.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

After a day of travelling they had stopped in a little meadow and Sesshomaru had finally put Hikaru down, settling her on his mokomoko.

Rin had played a bit with Kuro before her night without sleep caught up to her. She yawned before going to snuggle beside Hikaru on his pelt, Kuro snuggling between the two of them.

Sesshomaru quickly shut Jaken with a glare before the kappa could yell and wake them. Hikaru needed to sleep to recover and it would be best if Rin did so too. Pups needed their rest if they were to grow healthy.

His mokomoko moved to envelop the two, protecting them from view and from the cold wind swiping down the plains.


End file.
